US Army Alaska 1972 US Army; Alaskan Army Activities; The Big Picture TV-794
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‘”US Army Alaska: Traces the numerous contributions of the military to the development of our 49th state, examining in detail the training centers and troop activities that are USARAL.”
“The Big Picture” episode TV-794
Public domain film from the US National Archives, slightly cropped to remove uneven edges, with the aspect ratio corrected, and mild video noise reduction applied.
The soundtrack was also processed with volume normalization, noise reduction, clipping reduction, and/or equalization (the resulting sound, though not perfect, is far less noisy than the original).
United States Army Alaska (USARAK or “America’s Arctic Warriors”) is a military command of the United States Army located in the state of Alaska, USA. A subordinate command of the United States Army Pacific, USARAK is the ground element of the Alaskan Command. USARAK is headquartered at Fort Richardson and commanded by a major general.
The 1950s: USARAL
The Army established the Yukon Command at Ladd Air Force Base as a component of the U.S. Army Alaska (USARAL) with the mission of point defense of U.S. military installations north of the Alaska Range. Consequently, infantry and anti-aircraft units comprised most of the Army presence at Ladd AFB during the 1950s. Elements of the 4th Regimental Combat Team arrived at Ladd AFB in 1950, and the 1st Battle Group, 9th “Manchu” Infantry Regiment took its place in 1956. At some time by December, 1957, the 1st Battle Group, 9th “Manchu” Infantry was split between Ladd AFB and Eilson AFB, with the headquarters being at Eilson AFB and some of the line companies (C Company, for one) remaining at Ladd AFB. That configuration remained until at least December, 1959. The 4th AAA Group was stationed at Ladd until 1958. In 1959, a NIKE battalion equipped with nuclear-capable Nike Hercules surface-to-air missiles (SAMs) took over the interior defense mission.
Later two battalions of Nike missiles were stationed in Alaska…
1993 onwards: USARAK
The command was activated after the Department of the Army’s decision in March 1993 to inactivate the 6th Infantry Division (Light), which was then the principal Army unit in Alaska.
United States Army Alaska commands two brigade combat teams, an Engineer Brigade, an NCO Academy, the US Army’s Northern Warfare Training Center (NWTC), and the United States Army garrisons in Alaska, as well as tenant organizations and Reserve Component units. Major units under the United States Army Alaska command are:
– 1st Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 25th Infantry Division at Fort Wainwright
– 4th Brigade Combat Team (Airborne) 25th Infantry Division at Fort Richardson
– 2nd Engineer Brigade at Fort Richardson
– Northern Warfare Training Center at Fort Wainwright
– Noncommissioned Officer Academy at Fort Richardson
– 59th Signal Battalion at Fort Richardson
– Medical Department Activity-Alaska at Fort Richardson
The reserve component units located throughout the state include the National Guard’s 297th Battlefield Surveillance Brigade (formed from the 207th Infantry Group (Scout) in 2008); the 1st Battalion, 207th Aviation Regiment; a USAR hospital, and Company B, 411th Engineer Battalion[6] of the United States Army Reserve, which has its battalion headquarters in Hawaii…
Alaska is a U.S. state situated in the northwest extremity of the North American continent. Bordering the state to the east is the Canadian Yukon Territory and the province of British Columbia, the Arctic Ocean to the north, and the Pacific Ocean to the west and south, with Russia (specifically, Siberia) further west across the Bering Strait. Alaska is the largest state in the United States by area, the 4th least populous and the least densely populated of the 50 United States. Approximately half of Alaska’s 731,449 residents live within the Anchorage metropolitan area. Alaska’s economy is dominated by the oil, natural gas, and fishing industries, resources which it has in abundance. Tourism is also a significant part of the economy.
Although it had been occupied for thousands of years by indigenous peoples, from the 18th century onward, European powers considered the territory of Alaska ripe for exploitation. The United States purchased Alaska from Russia on March 30, 1867, for $7.2 million ($121 million adjusted for inflation) at approximately two cents per acre ($4.74/km²). The area went through several administrative changes before becoming organized as a territory on May 11, 1912. It was admitted as the 49th state of the U.S. on January 3, 1959…
