Do you know someone who served in the Alaska Territorial Guard?\u00a0 The Alaska Department of Military and Veterans Affairs would like to hear from you so all ATG members can be recognized and honored for their service to our state and our country.<\/p>\n
The Alaska Territorial Guard was a volunteer home guard formed in 1942 to protect Alaska during World War II.\u00a0 Organized by the US Army as a military reserve force, the 6,368 volunteer Guard members served without pay until 1947.<\/p>\n
Besides protecting our communities, the Alaska Territorial Guard served many vital strategic purposes to the entire Allied effort during World War II including: safeguarding the only source of the strategic metal platinum in the Western Hemisphere against Japanese attack; securing the terrain around the vital Lend-Lease air route between the United States and Russia; and they placed and maintained survival caches primarily along transportation corridors and coastal regions.<\/p>\n
It wasn\u2019t until 2000 that Senator Ted Stevens pushed legislation through Congress that acknowledged the contribution of the Alaska Territorial Guard by granting them US veteran status for the first time.\u00a0 This allowed them to receive veteran\u2019s benefits and apply for US Army honorable discharges.\u00a0 Since then, the Alaska Department of Military and Veteran\u2019s Affairs has been trying to track down all Territorial Guard members whether they are living or deceased.\u00a0 This effort has proven difficult due to lack of written records and the passage of time.\u00a0 If you know someone who served in the Alaska Territorial Guard or if you are a family member of a deceased Guard member, please visit this website:<\/p>\n