Guard Officer Describes
St. Lawrence Encampment
-
By Lt. Col. D. W. Dean
ANG Training Officer
JUNEAU—Throughout the na
tion units of the National Guard
have completed summer training,
' hut we in Alaska have just begun.
As in former years the Alaska
National Guard will hold most
active duty training after the first
snowfall.
All previous Guard records are
surpassed this year with seven
encampments scheduled for the
territory. As training officer it is
my privilege to work with Guard
units in the planning and execu
tion of these camps.
Skinboat Journey
Field training began August 3
for Guardsmen in the villages of
Gambell and Savoonga on St.
Lawrence Island in the Bering
Sea. The last detachment set out
two weeks ago on a 100-mile skin
boat cargo-haul with the last sup
plies from the camp site at Trout
man Lake on the far west cape of
the island. In the 15-day interval
the Eskimo troops had demonstra
ted clearly the benefits of three
years of Guard -training.
By Christmas, the Guard will
have completed all seven of its
encampments for army and air
units; at Fort Richardson, St.
Paul Island, Nome and Elmendorf
AFB in addition to St. Lawrence
Island. Nearly every Guardsman
in Alaska will have completed two
weeks of active duty, putting into
practical use the lessons learned
during the 48 annual drills held
in nearly 70 home towns.
Si. Lawrence Training
At St. Lawrence Island the Na
tional Guard, with the combined
aid of the Army and Air Force,
proved its ability to' conduct a
training phase in a remote site
not far from the International
Date Line. Tentage and supplies
obtained from Army Quartermas
ter by the U.S. Purchasing and
Disbursing Office at Anchorage
were flown to Nome by the Alas
kan Air Command, moved to
Gambell by Army Transportation
Corps barges, and unloaded by
Guardsmen who carried materials
across a sand spit to' umiaks (skin
boats! and moved to the Trout
man Lake campsite.
From Savoonga, an advance unit
of five men arrived by umiak to
assist Gambell troops in longshor
ing work and establishment of the
camp. The main body of the Sav
oonga unit, delayed two days by
heavy swells and surf, arrived on
the evening of August 5 with un
dampened enthusiasm and com
menced training the following
morning. Camp Commander Lt.
Timothy Gologergen arrived to
• find the camp operation smoothly
under the direction of SFC Willis
r ~ —..
Walunga, Gambell non-commis
sioned officer in charge.
Ideal Terrain
The camp, situated on a dry
gravel bench, is located near a
natural rifle range and in the
heart of terrain ideally suited to
the training of Scouts. Two head
quarter tents heading a double
row of five-man arctic tents
formed the main camp. Troops
improvised a flagpole from the
mast of an umiak.
Camp routine included reveille
at 5:45 a.m., followed by cales
thenics, and breakfast. The men
cooked rations—the famous five
in-one — on single-burner moun
tain stoves in the tents. A variety
of daily menus included candy,
gum and cigarets for all troops.
Breakfast dishes were washed in
standard Army fashion, and the
camp area carefully “policed”
down to the last cigaret butt.
Morning to Night
As nesting arotic terns squawked
at the early morning activity, the
Eskimo troops (no squawking from
them> began their full day of
training at 7 a.m. During the first
days they studied rifle marksman
ship, map reading, patrolling, ra
dio instruction and methods of
observing.
Following evening meals, the
instructors were briefed on the
following day’s classes by Army
Instructor SFC George Bobbitt.
For the troops there was time for
elimination play-offs on the ball
field near headquarters tents.
During the final week instruc
tion in methods of reporting in
telligence and more advanced
Scout training was held. In the
recreation field the final cham
pionship game of softball was
held.
Inspection Day
On Saturday morning of the
first week a full inspection of the
site and personnel was held, with
impressive results. Minor repairs
needed on a few weapons were
handed to Pvt. Carl Iyakitan of
Gambell, camp handyman, who
had them in superior condition by
mid-morning.
Tent interiors were neatly and
carefully arranged; air mattresses
in orderly stacks, packs and sleep
ing bags in appointed places, mess'
gear polished and on display,
clothing hung in approved Army
style.
The inspecting party included
Lt. Col. W. M. Mueller, senior
Army instructor; Maj. Louis
Schnable, U. S. Army, Alaska;
Capt. Arthur Ashley, Guard tac
tical advisor for the camp, of An
chorage; and myself.
One of Finest Units
As the last Eskimo in his
pressed Class A uniform passed
-1
the inspection in ranks, the party
was unanimous in their opinion
that St. Lawrence Island has pro
duced one of the finest units in
the Alaska National Guard.
Last year the Savoonga unit
marched in dead winter for 60
miles with dog teams to reach the
airlift that' brough them to camp
at Fort Richardson.
During the past year both Sav
oonga and Gambell units have
patrolled the length and breadth
of the island on various missions
in all kinds of weather, gathering
information, mapping, sketching,
and sending in laconic reports of
50-mile patrols that sound as rou
tine as a trip across town to the
grocery.
Sunday Recreation
On Sunday the camp gathered
for services by Rev. Lowell M.
Campbell of the Gambell Mission,
following which skin-boat taxi
service was provided by Guards
men from the village to the camp.
Villagers were entertained by
demonstrations of military skills
and a softball game during the
open house.
Alaska owes much to these
Scout Guardsmen, who, in their
daily lives make up a defensive
ring of alert observers along the
territory’s “back door” boundary
between East and West, and to
the members of the infantry bat
talions which form the territory’s
emergency reserve of citizen-sol
diers.
20 G.I. Trainees
Drown In Lake
When Boat Spills
FT. CRAtG, N.C., UP)—1Twenty
soldiers, many of whom could
not swim, drowned within sight
of comrades on shore hfere Wed
nesday when a training boat cap
sized in a reservation lake.
The\post public information of
fice’said late Wednesday night it
still did not know how many men
were aboard. Only two of the
survivors were hospitalized.
Some of the survivors were
helped ashore. Others swam the
100 yards to safety despite their
bulky fatigue uniforms and non
swimmers’ panicky efforts to grab
them. The men were members of
the 406th Engineer Brigade. Most
were basic trainees. They were on
an orientation ride on the mile
long lake in a boat consisting of
two 14-foot-long assault crafts
bolted together end to end. It went
down in about 10 feet of water.
Otto Edwajds, Ft. Bragg safety
director, said the normal load for
such a boat is about 25 men. Army
officials in Washington said they
thought it was the worst training
accident, not involving aircraft,
since World War II.
WHOLESALE FOOD PRICES
NEW YORK, UP) — Wholesale
food prices as measured by the
Dun & Bradstreet Index declined
this week to the lowest point in
nine weeks.
The index registered $6.61, the
lowest since the $6.54 recorded on
June 30. A week ago the index
stood at $6.73 and a year ago at
$6.70. Meats and livestock con
tributed most of the downturn.
Legal Blanks at The Nome Nugget
Hagen’s Jewelry Store
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\
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