The wind whipped over the steps of the state Capitol, tousling hair and sending clothes flapping, threatening to launch program fliers over the hill.

It was especially cumbersome for three members of the AMVETS, a veterans organization, who held U.S., state and their organization's flags aloft. The men stood, their faces set, and braced themselves against the constant pull. The veterans couldn't help but sway a little in the wind, but those flags didn't falter.

They stood at attention for more than an hour at the Capitol to preside over a prayer service Sunday afternoon, held in honor of U.S. troops and their families.

"They need all the prayers they can get," said Judy Miller, of Mandan, whose son has been deployed since February. She was one of about 75 in attendance.

Miller occasionally participates in the St. Mary's Parish Military Family Support Group, an organization for those with family in the armed forces. The support group organized the event, which included songs, Scripture and speeches from National Guard and Army Reserve personnel and Gov. Mike Hoeven.

The organizers also released balloons in honor of soldiers; the fallen, the wounded, and those still active. While the wind may have given members of AMVETS a chance to prove their staunchness, it meant trouble for the balloons - the first bunch went straight into the topmost branches of a tree, inciting a stifled groan from the audience.

Those in attendance listened to letters from soldiers in Iraq, including one from Army Spc. David Jansky with the 101st Airborne Division, who wrote:

"When you are here the days are long, the nights lonely. You think about and day dream about the states. You wonder what maybe Mom is going to cook for you or what news your father has about his job."

Jansky told about the difficulties of living with separation from family and the violence of war, but said the experience had given him a new respect for his fellow soldiers.

He closed his letter with a request for others to thank people in uniform for all they have done.

Captain Allen Horner of the Army Reserve, who spoke at the event, said he is grateful for all of the times strangers have approached him to wish him well. When he first returned after six months in Iraq, people in the airport took the time to thank him.

"I was thanking them just for coming up to us," he said.

Rosemary Fleck, the support group coordinator, said she was pleased with how the ceremony turned out, despite the wind.

It's important to have such prayer ceremonies public and available for everyone, she said, to keep the troops in people's minds as much as possible.

"We feel we can't forget them, and that's what this is all about," she said.