Territorial guard

[cleofus1]

they may just get veteran's status yet!

"Almost 400 people, most of them elderly Native Alaskans, can now be officially recognized as military veterans for their service in the Alaska Territorial Guard, a former colonel in the Alaska National Guard said Tuesday.

The 6,600 Alaskans who served in the Territorial Guard during World War II had the historical misfortune of serving their country before Alaska became a state, said former Col. Bob Goodman, a 73-year-old Anchorage resident who put in more than 39 years in the National Guard.

Therefore, Goodman said, Territorial Guardsmen were judged ineligible for a formal military discharge, and that kept them from the range of benefits available to vets."


http://www.adn.com/alaska/story/5691083p-5624002c.html

[cleofus1]

1. native people

Alaska natives as young as 11 years old signed up to serve in the Territorial Guard.

[Bandit]

2. I remember being a territory fairly well

One of my strongest memories was segregation of natives. They had their own school and were not allowed in several establishments including at least one movie theater. I was thirteen years old when we became a state and actually miss part of the territorial days. The Segregation part is not one of the things I miss though. I also don't miss the Federal Government's mishandling of our fisheries. I do miss the local feeling of independence and fireworks. After statehood the first thing they did was outlaw firecrackers. For a thirteen year old boy that was devastating.