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Gambell National Guard members to receive Alaska Heroism Medal for 1955 rescue

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Gambell National Guard members to receive Alaska Heroism Medal for 1955 rescue


A part of the Lockheed P2V-5 Neptune wreckage nonetheless stays in Gambell. (Picture courtesy of Homosexual Sheffield/UAF Northwest Campus and Alaska SeaGrant)

The Alaska Nationwide Guard and the Alaska Workplace of Veterans Affairs plan to award the Alaska Heroism Medal to the households of 16 members of the Alaska Nationwide Guard in Gambell. The awards are being offered for the rescue of a downed Navy air crew nearly 70 years after the occasion.

On June 22, 1955, a U.S. Navy patrol aircraft took off from Kodiak with a crew of 11.

The crew’s mission was to patrol U.S. airspace, test navigational aids and doc sea ice, in response to Verdie Bowen, director of the Alaska Workplace of Veterans Affairs.

About 200 miles west of Nome, the crew encountered two Soviet MiG-15 fighter jets, which fired on them. They tried to cover within the cloud cowl, however the MiGs managed to disable one of many patrol aircraft’s engines, and the crew crash-landed on St. Lawrence Island about 9 miles south of Gambell.

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David Assard, the navigator, described the touchdown in an interview with Alaska Dispatch Information in 2015.

“The touchdown was as lovely as you can think about, with the notable exception that, as a result of we had no wheels and there have been loads of boulders and rocks on shore, they ruptured the middle tank,” Assad stated.

He stated the gas ignited, inflicting a fireplace contained in the aircraft.

“Because the aircraft decelerated, the fireball didn’t, and it rolled ahead and burned all people,” Assard stated.

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June Walunga, daughter of one of many Nationwide Guard members who responded to the crash, remembers being in Gambell and watching the aircraft come down.

“I used to be seven years outdated, and I bear in mind the sound and the aircraft going over Gambell,” she stated. “It was thundering to us. You already know, we by no means heard that type of sound again then. And it’s proper there very near your head. And shortly after that, I noticed smoke.”

Not one of the crew died within the crash, however all of them sustained accidents, together with burns, shrapnel and bullet wounds.

Employees Sgt. Clifford Iknokinok and three different members of the Gambell First Scout Battalion have been seal searching close by and made their method to the crash website regardless of the Soviet fighters persevering with to circle overhead. Upon realizing that they didn’t have the mandatory tools to assist the air crew, Iknokinok set off for Gambell to collect extra help. Earlier than he made it to Gambell, although, he bumped into a number of of his fellow Nationwide Guard members, who have been already on their means to assist.

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The Nationwide Guard members used umiaks to move the injured air crew again to Gambell. June Walunga remembers them arriving on the town.

“I bear in mind I used to be holding my mom’s hand, and we have been strolling in direction of the seaside the place the boats have been coming in, they usually have been carrying these folks on stretchers going up the seaside. Some had bandages wrapped on them and their arms; a few of them have been midway up on their shoulders,” Walunga stated.

After arriving in Gambell, the crew’s accidents have been handled. A workforce from Elmendorf Air Power Base retrieved them two days later. Bowen says it was solely because of the fast motion of the Gambell First Scouts that each one 11 members of the air crew survived.

But when this all occurred in 1955, why is the Nationwide Guard awarding medals in 2022? There’s a easy motive, in response to Bowen.

“In 1955, there (have been) no peacetime medals within the lively navy or within the Nationwide Guard,” he defined.

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Brigadier Normal John Noyes offered the members of the Gambell First Scout Battalion with letters of commendation for his or her actions.

“For that point, that was applicable for 1955 and, in actuality, that was the one factor that he actually had in his awards department to supply,” Bowen stated.

In November of that yr, the U.S. Navy additionally acknowledged the Gambell First Scouts by awarding Honorary Naval Aviator Designations to Grasp Sergeant Willis Walunga and Employees Sergeant Clifford Iknokinok, the senior members of the unit. The opposite members acquired letters of appreciation from the Navy.

After a overview by Main Normal Torrence Saxe, the present adjutant common of the Alaska Nationwide Guard, the awards have been upgraded to the Alaska Heroism Medal, at the moment the best award for heroism within the Alaska Nationwide Guard. The medals will probably be offered to the households of the members of the Gambell First Scout Battalion and Cpl. Bruce Boolowon, the one surviving member.

The total record of recipients is as follows:

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  • Grasp Sgt. Willis Walunga
  • Employees Sgt. Clifford Iknokinok
  • Sgt. Herbert Apassingok
  • Sgt. Ralph Apatiki Sr.
  • Cpl. Bruce Boolowon
  • Cpl. Victor Campbell
  • Cpl. Ned Koozaata
  • Cpl. Joseph Slwooko
  • Pfc. Holden Apatiki
  • Pfc. Lane Iyakitan
  • Pfc. Leroy Kulukhon
  • Pfc. Woodrow Malewotkuk
  • Pfc. Roger Slwooko
  • Pfc. Vernon Slwooko
  • Pfc. Donald Ungott
  • Pvt. Luke Kulukhon

The award ceremony was initially scheduled for July 9, however resulting from inclement climate, personnel from the Workplace of Veterans Affairs and the Alaska Nationwide Guard have been unable to land in Gambell that day. The Nationwide Guard and the Workplace of Veterans Affairs say they are going to work with the group and household representatives to reschedule the occasion.

Click on right here to look at the total Strait Science presentation specializing in the Gambell Nationwide Guardsmen and their heroic rescue mission from 1955.



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Alaska communities devastated by severe storm could take years to recover

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Alaska communities devastated by severe storm could take years to recover


Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska warned over the weekend that it could take years for some of her state’s communities to recover after they were devastated by a powerful storm recently.

Speaking at the Alaska Federation of Natives’ annual convention on Saturday, the Republican shared her experience visiting Kipnuk, a village where officials estimate 90% of structures were destroyed amid flooding and other extreme conditions, describing the widespread devastation and “long road” ahead for rebuilding.

“It’s going to take years to recover from the disaster of what we have seen with this storm,” she said. Murkowski added, “We have to come together in times of tragedy and disasters – we know that.

“After the flood waters recede, and after the damage to the homes and the fish camp is calculated, there’s so much work that remains, and so much healing that is needed.”

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Murkowski’s remarks came after the remnants of Typhoon Halong on the weekend of 11 October battered remote communities in south-west Alaska with strong winds, rain, record-breaking storm surges and flooding.

More than 1,500 people were displaced, and homes were inundated and swept away. At least one person was killed, and two others remained missing heading into Monday. The US Coast Guard has rescued dozens from their homes.

On 16 October, Mike Dunleavy, Alaska’s governor, said it could take “upwards of 18 months” before many residents would be able to return to their homes and communities.

In a letter to Donald Trump, Dunleavy requested that the president declare a major disaster in the state, which would unlock federal resources.

“Due to the time, space, distance, geography and weather in the affected areas, it is likely that many survivors will be unable to return to their communities this winter,” he wrote.

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“Agencies are prioritizing rapid repairs,” he added. “But it is likely that some damaged communities will not be viable to support winter occupancy, in America’s harshest climate in the US Arctic.”

Murkowski and two more members of Alaska’s congressional delegation – US senator Dan Sullivan and House representative Nick Begich – sent a letter urging Trump to approve Dunleavy’s request.

“The scale of this disaster surpasses the state’s ability and capacity to respond without federal support,” they wrote. “With winter fast approaching, and transportation and broadband connectivity limited, there is an urgent need for federal aid to repair housing, restore utilities, and secure heating fuel before severe winter conditions set in.”

The Alaska national guard was activated, and as of Sunday, it had airlifted “633 survivors from Bethel to Anchorage”.

Alaska’s state emergency operations center said on Sunday that “large-scale evacuations are complete; additional small-scale evacuations will occur as needed”.

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The center said on Sunday that it remained at the state’s highest level of activation.

“Sheltering operations are continuing in Bethel, Anchorage, and other communities,” the center said, adding that it “continues to deploy personnel and supplies to impacted communities for emergency home and infrastructure repair”.

In May, the Trump administration canceled a $20m US Environmental Protection Agency grant to Kipnuk intended to prevent coastal erosion and protect against flooding.

A statement by the Trump administration to the Anchorage Daily News defended the grant cancelation, claiming without elaborating that the money would have been wasted.

Murkowski has also sought to defend the Trump administration over the grant cancelation, arguing that the money would not have arrived in time to prevent the damage from the recent storm, as the Daily News noted.

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The senator did add that the recent devastation underscores the importance of funding meant to prevent damage from future storms.



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Devastating Floods Seen From Above In Western Alaska – Videos from The Weather Channel

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Devastating Floods Seen From Above In Western Alaska – Videos from The Weather Channel




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Congressional delegation pledges support as FEMA joins Western Alaska storm response

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Congressional delegation pledges support as FEMA joins Western Alaska storm response


People from Tuntutuliak arrive in Bethel on an Alaska Army National Guard CH-47 Chinook helicopter. Alaska Army and Air National Guard personnel continued work to evacuate people from several Western Alaska villages, including Tuntutuliak and Kwigillingok, to Bethel on October 17, 2025, several days after Typhoon Halong caused widespread damage in the coastal region. (Marc Lester / ADN)

A day after Gov. Mike Dunleavy asked President Donald Trump to approve a major disaster declaration for Western Alaska to unlock funding, the Federal Emergency Management Agency confirmed it had received the request and sent staff to Alaska, but did not provide a timeline for approving the disaster declaration.

“We’re in receipt of the governor’s request and working closely with Alaska and talking with the leadership hand in hand,” the FEMA press office wrote Saturday in an unsigned statement.

The request for the disaster declaration came days after the remnants of Typhoon Halong battered several villages in Western Alaska, leaving one person dead and two missing as dozens of homes floated off their foundations. Hundreds of residents from Kipnuk, Kwigillingok and other communities have been evacuated to Bethel and Anchorage.

As of Friday, 64 FEMA staff were dedicated to the Alaska storm response, the officials wrote, including two state liaison officers, two tribal liaisons and two mass care specialists who are embedded at the State Emergency Operations Center in Anchorage to provide technical assistance to the state and tribal partners.

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FEMA also activated a response coordination center in Washington state and began collecting imagery of the impacted areas to provide early damage assessments to responders, officials wrote.

Members of Alaska’s congressional delegation in speeches at the annual Alaska Federation of Natives convention on Friday and Saturday praised the response from local, state and federal agencies.

U.S. Sen. Lisa Murkowski called the response from FEMA and other organizations “fabulous.”

However, she said she remained concerned about next steps in assisting impacted communities and residents.

“As with every disaster, it seems that complications always come when you are in that recovery end of things, when you’re actually working through individual assistance applications,” she told reporters in Anchorage.

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Sen. Lisa Murkowski spoke to folks gathered on the last day of the AFN convention at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (Bill Roth / ADN)

She said there could be challenges for Yup’ik speakers who are not fluent in English in filling out FEMA forms that are not adapted to the unique concerns of rural Alaska.

“So I’m not worried about the immediate — I’m worried about what comes next,” she said.

Murkowski, along with U.S. Sen. Dan Sullivan and U.S. Rep. Nick Begich, pledged their commitment to ensure the federal government assists impacted individuals.

Begich said he intends to work with Murkowski and Sullivan “to pursue every opportunity available to ensure that families have both the immediate relief that they need and the long-term support that they need to get back on their feet.”

Congressman Nick Begich greeted people after his speech on the last day of the AFN convention at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (Bill Roth / ADN)
Sen. Dan Sullivan gives a speech at the Alaska Federation of Natives convention on Friday, Oct. 17, 2025 in Anchorage as some critics hold signs in protest. (Iris Samuels / ADN)

Sullivan praised a social media post from Vice President JD Vance, who wrote on Friday that the federal government is working to get help to affected Alaskans.

“I think that’s good when it comes from the top of the administration,” Sullivan said.

Murkowski was the first member of the congressional delegation to have visited the impacted region, with a short trip to Bethel and Kipnuk on Friday. She provided a more detailed view of what lies ahead during her Anchorage speech.

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“It’s pretty powerful to observe first, to hear carefully what the needs are, before we swoop in from Washington or from afar to tell you what to do in your communities,” Murkowski said.

“I want to underscore — what you decide is best, because I will not accept that there are those who are from Washington, D.C., from other parts of the country, who have never been to your region, who have never heard your stories, that they feel that somehow they can determine your future,” Murkowski said, addressing a crowd of hundreds of Alaska Native people from across the state, including the region hit hardest by the storm.

Murkowski said that after meeting with teachers in the Kipnuk school, she thought it was important for children from the affected community to be kept together, even if they are unable to return to their village site for the foreseeable future.

“The more that we can keep these children and these families together in these communities while they are displaced, while they are out of their home, that is what we can do to help them,” Murkowski said.

Murkowski also took time in her speech to respond to the Environmental Protection Agency, which this week defended its decision to rescind a $20 million erosion mitigation grant awarded to Kipnuk — one of the hardest-hit villages — under the previous administration.

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In a social media post, EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin said the cancellation of the grant prevented the money from being “swept into the Kuskokwim River.”

Murkowski said she was “offended” by the comment.

“I am outright mad that some have suggested that it is a waste of taxpayer dollars to protect Alaskan communities. We are Americans. Every single person that has been impacted is an American that deserves to be treated with that level of respect,” Murkowski said, eliciting prolonged applause.

People applaud during a speech by Sen. Lisa Murkowski on last day of the AFN convention at the Dena’ina Center in Anchorage on Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025. (Bill Roth / ADN)

The Kipnuk grant would likely not be revived, Murkowski said, “but we’re working to get some portion of that funding to go toward Kipnuk again.”

“We’re still fighting for the funding that we secured, including the resilience grants for Kipnuk that were canceled earlier this year, and while that funding may not have come in time to prevent the disaster that we saw this past week, they may prevent future disasters, and that’s the point,” said Murkowski.

Murkowski said that the Alaska congressional delegation would “keep pushing the administration” to restore funding meant for Alaska, after dozens of grants were canceled earlier this year due to Trump’s targeting of renewable energy and climate change initiatives.

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“Simply recovering from this storm isn’t enough,” Murkowski said. “We have to be ready for the next one and the next one to follow, in Kipnuk and in every village, because these once-in-a-century storms are now arriving seemingly every year, and we have to prepare.”

• • •

Related stories:

Alaska Federation of Natives calls for emergency declaration from Trump in wake of typhoon disaster

A village in ruins: ‘I don’t see Kipnuk anymore’

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Relief workers look to begin ‘mucking out’ flood-damaged homes in Western Alaska

Gov. Dunleavy requests federal disaster declaration after Western Alaska storm

Anchorage coordinates to help more than 1,000 Western Alaska storm evacuees as mayor declares civil emergency

Here’s how to help those affected and displaced by Western Alaska storms

EPA defends canceling coastal erosion grant to hard-hit Kipnuk

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Officials for years knew about flood risks in rural Alaska. The recent storm illustrated how little they have to show for it.

Volunteers are evacuating pets from a flooded Western Alaska village, 1 plane at a time





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