Alaska Army National Guard prepares for war

MAT-SU -- Gov. Frank Murkowski met Saturday with members of the Alaska Army National Guard as they prepared to deploy on two separate missions.

About 132 soldiers from the Alpha Company of the Third Battalion (Scout) of the 297th Infantry, headquartered in Juneau, are deploying to Iraq for 18 months, including about four months of training in Texas.

Another 45 soldiers from the Bravo Company of the 297th Support Battalion, headquartered in Wasilla, will be deployed for up to a year to the National Missile Defense Site at Ft. Greely, where they will perform site security duties.

The governor's activation of the units represents the first federal call-up of an Alaska National Guard infantry unit since World War II. The orders were given by President George W. Bush earlier this month as part of a national call-up of up to 60 National Guard and Reserve units from more than 12 states.

The governor, joined by Maj. Gen. Craig Campbell, commissioner of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, spoke to the soldiers and their families, who were gathered in the National Guard Armory at Fort Richardson for premobilization activities and preparation.

"This is a rather sobering moment for me because I am sharing what many governors in the other 49 states are sharing, and that is the recognition that our National Guard members are going off to war," Murkowski said. "The symbolism, the reality, the sacrifice are something you know much better than I."

Murkowski put Saturday's gathering in the context of Alaskan history, harking back to the Alaska National Guard soldiers who were deployed 63 years ago to serve in World War II.

"They were fishermen, loggers, stevedores, teachers, students, firemen, trappers, store keepers, hunters and the like," Murkowski said. "They were ready, they were reliable, they were essential and they were accessible, and you are the same."

Contact Joel Davidson at joel.davidson@frontiersman.com.