The Alaska Territorial Guard
Japan’s invasion of Alaska in 1942 caught America completely off guard. Dutch Harbor got bombed, then enemy forces took Attu and Kiska islands. The first invasion of American soil since 1812 was happening, and the military was scrambled.
Major Marston’s solution was brilliant: recruit Alaska Natives who knew the land better than anyone. They formed the Alaska Territorial Guard, 6,300 strong from 107 villages.
These volunteers, some as young as 12, became expert marksmen who spotted enemy planes and shot down Japanese balloon bombs. Here’s their story.
The Territory Had Almost No Real Defense
Military commanders finally saw their huge mistake in thinking Alaska didn’t matter.
The territory’s 6,640-mile coastline sat wide open after the Army moved Alaska National Guard units to the lower 48 states in August 1941.
No backup forces were left to protect America’s biggest territory. Governor Ernest Gruening watched enemy forces take American islands while his territory had barely any defense.
The few Army posts scattered around couldn’t possibly watch Alaska’s massive frontier against more Japanese attacks.
Marston Saw Alaska Natives As The Answer
Major Marvin Marston landed at Fort Richardson in spring 1941 with mining experience from Canada’s tough northern country.
Months later, while traveling with entertainer Joe E. Brown to cheer up troops, Marston reached remote St. Lawrence Island.
He found 700 Eskimos who sensed trouble coming while all the white residents except the schoolteacher had left.
Standing on that windy island, Marston came up with a bold idea: Alaska’s Native people knew this harsh land better than any soldier and could survive where others would die.
A Whale Blubber Contest Won Hearts
Marston traveled village to village by dogsled through the coldest winter in 25 years, looking for volunteers.
In one village, the chief challenged this strange white officer to prove he was tough enough.
Marston took the dare and sat down for a whale blubber eating contest, chewing through chunks of raw muktuk while villagers watched.
When Marston beat the chief, the crowd cheered and gave him his nickname “Muktuk.” Word spread across Alaska that this outsider had earned his place with the people.
The Governor Followed Marston’s Crazy Plan
Governor Gruening grabbed Marston’s idea after the Dutch Harbor attack showed how defenseless Alaska really was.
Within days, he made Major Marston and Captain Carl Schreibner his military helpers to organize the Alaska Territorial Guard.
Gruening and Marston flew a small plane across the territory, landing in remote villages to set up the first units.
They built something new: a military force based on Native knowledge and Arctic survival skills instead of regular army training.
Thousands Volunteered Without Pay
Volunteers poured in from 107 communities across Alaska’s wilderness.
More than 6,300 Alaska Natives stepped up without any promise of money, from 12-year-old boys to 80-year-old elders, including 27 women.
Aleut, Athabaskan, Inupiaq, Haida, Tlingit, Tsimshian, and Yupik peoples worked together for the first time.
These weren’t regular recruits but expert hunters and trackers who had lived through Alaska’s worst conditions their whole lives.
They Learned To Fight Like Soldiers
Each volunteer got one rifle, an army uniform, training manual, and Arctic gear like snowshoes.
They practiced military drills in cold and water that would freeze regular soldiers, learned radio work, and got good at spotting enemy planes against gray Arctic skies.
Many units became expert marksmen, with some women shooting better than the men. They went from traditional hunters to Alaska’s first defense against invasion.
Guards Protected America’s Spots
The Territorial Guard watched over key places across Alaska’s wild frontier.
They protected the Lend-Lease air route that sent badly needed planes to Soviet allies fighting Hitler.
In tiny Platinum village, guards watched America’s only platinum mine, the only source of this vital metal in the Western Hemisphere.
Members stored survival supplies along remote routes and helped military dog sled teams get between isolated bases through blizzards that grounded planes.
Strange Balloon Bombs Started Floating Over
Japanese engineers launched their secret weapon in late 1944: thousands of balloon bombs riding Pacific wind currents toward North America.
These paper balloons carried fire bombs designed to start huge forest fires and scare American civilians.
Alaska Territorial Guard members, trained to spot enemy aircraft, were the first to see these weird floating threats drifting over Alaska’s wilderness.
Their sharp eyes helped shoot down balloon bombs before they could do damage.
The Fight Continued After The War Ended
Beating Japan didn’t end the Alaska Territorial Guard’s work.
Veterans came home to face laws that kept Alaska Natives out of restaurants, theaters, and hotels in their own territory.
They got organized politically, using skills from military service to fight for equal rights. Former guardsmen pushed through Alaska’s first anti-discrimination law, ending legal separation.
Seven ATG veterans became delegates to Alaska’s Constitutional Convention, helping write the laws for America’s 49th state.
It Took Decades To Get Proper Recognition
Years went by while Alaska Territorial Guard veterans watched other World War II soldiers get benefits and honors.
The federal government had forgotten these unpaid volunteers who defended America’s northern frontier.
Finally, in 2000, President Clinton signed a law giving full veteran status to surviving ATG members after 53 years of being ignored.
Veterans Affairs workers tracked down elderly survivors in remote villages, bringing official discharge papers and military honors.
Many got their recognition as military headstones marking graves in Arctic cemeteries.
Visiting Alaska Veterans Museum In Anchorage Alaska
The Alaska Veterans Museum in downtown Anchorage tells the story of the Alaska Territorial Guard through artifacts and exhibits at 333 W 4th Avenue, Suite 227 in the 4th Avenue Market Place.
You’ll find an Alaska Territorial Guard statue standing guard outside and original ATG artifacts inside, including Major “Muktuk” Marston’s personal items on loan from the Anchorage Museum.
The museum covers Alaska’s military history from 1865 to present with chronological exhibits showing how Native volunteers defended their homeland during WWII.
This article was created with AI assistance and human editing.
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