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I recently attended the 150-year commemoration of the transfer of
Alaska, previously known as Russian America, from tsarist Russia to
the United States. The original ceremony occurred in Sitka (New
Archangel while under Russian rule) on October 18, 1867, and just
like the modern ceremony, the U.S. Army was present for the first
ceremony.
Seeing modern-day Paratroopers mingling with Sitka
residents dressed as Civil War-era Soldiers impressed upon me just
how prominently our Army has influenced the birth, growth and
development of the Last Frontier. I was struck with the legacy of
service represented by two uniforms side-by-side, yet separated by
15 decades of hardship and exploration, combat and sacrifice.
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October 18, 2017 - Reenactors portray Russian Empire delegates who
stand aside while U.S. Army Civil War-era Soldiers raise the Alaska
state flag at Castle Hill during the 2017 Alaska Day Festival,
Sitka, Alaska. This ceremony honors the 150th anniversary of the
transfer of Russian America from Russia to the United States. U.S.
Army Alaska Soldiers with 725th Brigade Support Battalion
(Airborne), 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th
Infantry Division provided a color guard and firing squad while
Arctic Support Command's 9th Army Band, 17th Combat Sustainment
Support Battalion provided instrumental music. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Richard Packer)
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The Army originally headquartered in Sitka maintained law and
order in the Alaska Military District from 1867-1877. Initially, the
Army built forts along Alaska’s southern coastline and as far out
into the Bering Sea as the Pribilof Islands. However, these posts
were expensive to maintain and supply and were all closed by 1870,
leaving Sitka as the only active garrison.
In 1877 the U.S.
Army relinquished control of the region to the U.S. Treasury
Department and took a back seat in Alaska’s governance. Though not
responsible for administering Alaska, the Army still dedicated
talent and resources to exploration and developing the Last
Frontier’s infrastructure over the next six decades.
In 1900,
the U.S. Congress dedicated $450,000 to establish a communications
system connecting Army forts and meteorological stations, gold rush
camps and other communities throughout known Alaska. Between 1900
and 1905, the U.S. Army Signal Corps’ Washington-Alaska Military
Cable and Telegraph System laid 2,100 miles of undersea cable, 1,400
miles of landlines and reached 107 miles across Norton Sound with a
wireless system. The Army operated WAMCATS, renamed the Alaska
Communication System in 1936, until the Air Force took over in 1962.
In 1905, Congress directed the Army, through the U.S. War
Department, to establish the Board of Road Commissioners for Alaska,
generally referred to as the Alaska Road Commission. By the time
responsibility for Alaska’s roads was transferred to the Department
of the Interior in 1932, ARC had built and maintained 1,231 miles of
road, 74 miles of tram road, 1,495 miles of sled road, 4,732 miles
of trail, 329 miles of temporary trail and 26 airfields. The
Richardson, Steese, Elliot and Edgerton highways are all named for
Army ARC officers who were instrumental in their construction.
World War II almost perfectly bisects the 150 years of our
Army’s service in Alaska. Just this summer, veterans and evacuees
held a commemoration to mark the 75th anniversary of the bombing of
Dutch Harbor by Imperial Japan in early June 1942.
The Battle of Dutch Harbor and the associated enemy landings at
Attu and Kiska islands were a hard blow for the U.S. military and
America’s national pride. So, in true American fashion, we threw a
lot of resources and manpower at the problem. World War II was a
catalyst for a boom in Alaskan infrastructure development which we
continue to enjoy the benefits of today.
Shortly after the
attacks in the Aleutians, airports in Anchorage and Fairbanks were
rapidly enlarged, smaller airports throughout Alaska were federally
supported, enlarged and made more useful, and the Alaskan-Canadian
Highway and petroleum pipelines were proposed and completed in
record time. These efforts played a major role in Allied war
strategy as Alaska’s airports were used to deliver nearly 8,000
Lend-Lease planes and materiel for the Soviet Union to use in the
defeat of Axis forces on the Eastern Front.
Army Engineers
surveyed, built, improved and defended Alaska from the beginning.
They have built and maintained military facilities and the Alaska
Railroad, improved navigation and moorage for Alaskan communities,
constructed flood control facilities to protect population centers,
developed hydroelectric facilities, built roads and pipelines,
assisted in disaster recovery efforts and many more invaluable
contributions over the past 150 years. Anyone interested in detailed
reading on how Army Engineers built Alaska can
visit the history page of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ Alaska
District.
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October 17, 2017 - A color guard of U.S. Army Alaska Paratroopers
with 725th Brigade Support Battalion (Airborne), 4th Infantry
Brigade Combat Team (Airborne), 25th Infantry Division rehearse for
a memorial ceremony at the Sitka National Cemetery in Sitka, Alaska.
The ceremony is part of the 2017 Alaska Day Festival which marked
the 150th anniversary of the transfer of Russian America from the
Russian Empire to the United States. 725th BSB also provided a
firing squad for the ceremony while Arctic Support Command's 9th
Army Band, 17th Combat Sustainment Support Battalion provided a
drummer and bugler. (U.S. Army photo by Capt. Richard Packer)
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Today the Army’s direct contributions are more focused on
the defense of Alaska and the strategic defense of the
United States. Soldiers at Fort Greely provide nuclear
strategic air defense against enemy attack. Our aviators
fight fires and rescue people lost and injured in the Alaska
wilderness. The Alaska Army National Guard responds to
scores of disasters and emergencies across the state each
year.
The history of our Army and Alaska are
inseparably intertwined. Alaska’s economy is built on the
foundation of roads, rails, pipelines, bridges, tunnels and
communication systems built by the Army. Soldiers today
protect the investment in treasure, time and lives the Army
has paid into the Great Land over the past 150 years. I
believe all those who’ve been privileged to live and serve
in Alaska owe a debt of gratitude to the legacy of U.S. Army
Soldiers who laid the foundation for Alaska’s modern
prosperity.
By U.S. Army Capt. Richard Packer
Provided
through DVIDS
Copyright 2017
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