Caroline Hoover proudly pins an Alaska Territorial Guard medal on the front of her father, David Martin’s
parka during an official discharge ceremony held in Kipnuk, Alaska Oct. 17. Martin is one of three surviving
members of the Alaska Territorial Guard’s Kipnuk unit. A total of 59 residents of Kipnuk who volunteered to
defend Alaska in the event of a Japanese invasion during World War II, were recognized during the ceremony.
Kipnuk residents who served with the Alaska Territorial Guard from 1942-1947 were members of a U.S. Army
component organized in response to attacks by the Japanese on Pearl Harbor. More than 6,600 Alaskans
ranging from 11 to 80-years-old volunteered to patrol the vast coastline with no pay and little equipment, until
the Alaska Territorial Guard was disbanded in 1947. Over the last few years many of the Alaska Territorial
Guard members have been formally discharged and recognized for their service at events held across Alaska.