The Alaska Territorial GuardA year before World War II the US Army withdrew all regular and reserve

The Alaska Territorial GuardA year before World War II the US Army withdrew all regular and reserve forces from Alaska, believing that the territory was too remote for an enemy attack.  Thus when America entered the war, there were no military forces available if a defense of the territory was needed. In the first year of the war Japanese submarine patrols were constantly sighted along the Alaskan coast, Japanese forces occupied islands in the Aleutian Island chain, Dutch Harbor was bombed, and a Japanese submarine attempted to shell Vancouver.  As a result, fear of Japanese attack or an all out invasion spread across the Pacific Northwest.In response to the lack of Alaskan defenses during the war,  the Alaskan Territorial Guard was organized.  Created in June of 1942, the Alaskan Territorial Guard was a militia or reserve force created to patrol and protect Alaska against any Axis aggression.  Incredibly, most of those who volunteered for the Guard were Alaskan Natives, drawn from native peoples including the Aleut, Inuit, Athabascan, White, Haida, Tlingit, Inupiac, and various other tribes.  Called “Eskimo Solders”, the men of the Alaska Territorial Guard were perfectly suited to military duty in Alaska.  Most lived in some of the most wild and remote areas of Alaska, and thus were self reliant men who were adapted to the extreme cold of arctic winters while well accustomed to surviving in the rugged wilderness. While they never saw combat, the Alaska Guardsmen were often called upon to conduct scouting, exploration, and rescue operations as they had unique knowledge of the terrain and how best to traverse it.The men who volunteered for the Alaska Territorial Guard were volunteers in the strictest sense; they received no pay.  At first, due to a shortage of weapons, many Guardsmen had to make due with their own personal hunting rifles.  Later, the US Army issued the Guard surplus World War I vintage M1917 Enfield and M1903 Springfield bolt action rifles as well as some WWI leftover machine guns. Later, when it was apparent that the US was winning the war, and American industry was in full gear, the Alaska Guards were issued modern M1 Garand semi automatic rifles.During the war 6,389 men and 27 women served in the Alaska Territory Guard.  Tens of thousands more served as support personnel. The Alaska Territorial Guard was disbanded in 1947. -- source link

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