Alaska: Governor Proclaims Territorial Guard Day Honoring World War II Volunteers
Alaska Governor Mike Dunleavy issued a proclamation on October 18 declaring October 18, 2026, as Alaska Territorial Guard Day. Alaska statute designates October 18 of each year to honor the guard's service.
According to the proclamation, the Alaska Territorial Guard was formed after the attack on Pearl Harbor as the territory's first line of defense, initially comprising more than 6,000 volunteers, the majority of them Alaska Native. From 1941 to 1947, as many as 15,000 Alaskans volunteered without pay or provisions, safeguarding roughly 5,200 miles of rugged coastline.
The proclamation also notes that in 2000, the late U.S. Senator Ted Stevens championed legislation formally recognizing the guard members' active federal service and qualifying them for Veterans Administration benefits. The governor encouraged Alaskans to learn about the role the guard and its families played in the state's history.
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：阿拉斯加州议会大厦（Juneau）。摄影：James Brooks，CC BY 2.0（Wikimedia Commons）。Photo: the Alaska State Capitol in Juneau. Photo by James Brooks, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons).
