The Michigan chronicle. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1936-current, 1944-11-04
Alaskan Highway Heroes Honored In
Special War Department Ceremony.

FORT LEWIS. Wash.-There war
plenty Of spi, and polish for the
93rd general service engineer regi.
ment recently. when its members.
dressed in their finest. stepped out
smartly on the Fort Lewis Army
Services Forces Training Center
parade ground in cadence 10 mar
tial airs. and were honored with
a presentation from the war de-.
partment Of their own unit battle
StreamerS. H
Maj. Gen. Joseph d. Patch. COM
mander OF Fort Lewis, made the
presentation. He was assisted by
Col. Frank s. Besson. engineer
commander, Col Charles r. Baish,.
commanding the 18th group. and,
the 93rd regimental commander.
Col. Walter w. Hodge.
Is Others
The famed Negro regiment, now
stationed at Fort Lewis, was cited
along with Is other units in war
department general orders for
meritorious conduct in the con-
struction Of the Canadian Alaskan
military highway during the period
from March to October in 1912.
General Patch personally carried
the streamers to the regiments
color standards and attached
them.
Il have knowledge OF your fine
record in Alaska he said to the
soldiers lined UP in formation be-
fore him. land you have made a
fine record here with us. Good
work Keep it up" he concluded.
The oryer. published by the war
department and circulated through.
out the army, states the Alaskan
project had to be completed with
all speed within the physical Ca
pacity of the troops" The route
selected for the highway lay across
vast areas Of almost impenetrable
wilderness vaguely mapped ana
but little known"
Endured Hardships /.
A suggestion of the hardshipS
endured by members of the regi7
ment in carrying out their assigned
job is contained in the regimenta3
historical annals. Men lived In
tents. The temperature was usually
around go degrees below ZERO
Tents had to be chopped up from
the frozen ground with hand axe4
when moved.
Some of the areas through which,
the road was to 60 had never been
traversed except by dog sled or ont
foot. The engineers were forced to
overcome great difficulties imposed
by mountainous terrain, deep mus,
keg, torrentiaf streams, heavy
forests-and always bad weather.
"Of Inestimable Strategic VALVE !
The war Departments citation con-
cludes by declaring that remarks
able engineering ability, ingenious
improvisation. and unsurpassed de-
votion TO duty" enabled the units
to complete their mission in one
short working season, and thereby
opened a supply road to Alask1
that Is OF inestimabie strategic
4 value to the war effort Of their
country"
Before the battle streamers were
presented, Colonel Besson awarded
Good Conduct Ribbons to l06 men
OF the regiment, and congratulated
each personally on winning the
government honor.
The regiment set a record OF
building strip Of road 50 miles
long in one month and IL days, or
slightly more than a mile and a
half a day. After four months about
240 miles Of highway across some
OF the worst country in Alaska had
been completed.
Brig. Gen. Clarence L. Sturde-
want, assistant chief of engineers in
Alaska said it was "the best section
Of road on the Alaskan highway"
The Aleutian Islands were the
next stop on their trip ticket Here
members Of the regiment tackled
even more difficult construction
projects under equally trying con-
! ditions 4.