Castner ' s Cutthroats Castner ' s Cutthroats was the unofficial name for the 1st Alaskan Combat Intelligence Platoon ( Provisional ) , also known as Alaskan Scouts . Castner ' s Cutthroats fought during World War II and were instrumental in defeating the Japan ese during the Aleutian Islands Campaign . The unit was composed of just sixty - five men selected to perform reconnaissance missions in the Aleutian Islands during the war . Background . The brainchild of Colonel Lawrence Varsi Castner ( 1902 – 1949 ) , an Army intelligence officer serving in General Simon Bolivar Buckner ' s Alaskan Defense Command , the band was organized in order to create a unit that was fully functional with only minimal outfitting . Castner chose men skilled at flourishing in the tough conditions of the Alaskan wilderness including the native Aleuts and Eskimos , sourdough prospectors , hunters , trappers and fishermen . Their background in survival and hunting made them ideal scouts . Hard and dangerous men , they often had names in keeping with their unit ' s nickname , such as Bad Whiskey Red , Aleut Pete and Waterbucket Ben . Appreciating their unique talents , Col . Castner did not enforce standard military procedures on his unit , who gave themselves the name " Cutthroats " in honor of their irregular status . They were given a great deal of freedom in order to get the job done . The commanding officer chosen to lead Castner ' s Cutthroats was Captain Robert H . Thompson , a Montana State University football star from Moccasin , Montana . Thompson was hugely popular with his men and developed a deep love of Alaska . After leaving the Castner ' s Cutthroats , he stayed in Alaska as a guide , hunter and bush pilot until his accidental death in 1955 . He was joined in early 1942 by Lt . Earl C . Acuff , a University of Idaho graduate and rival football player . Acuff had been stationed on a remote Aleutian island to spy on Japanese planes . After several months went by without hearing from him , the army charged Castner ' s Cutthroats with recovery of his body . When they found him alive and well , he was quickly transferred to the Alaskan Scouts . " I was living like a king . I was diving for king crab and eating fresh seafood and fowl - - wild ptarmigan , ducks and geese - - for dinner . They told me not to break radio sound unless I saw a Japanese plane , so I didn ' t . When the Alaskan Scouts came to ' rescue ' me , they started thinking that maybe they ' d like to stay with me . " - Lt Acuff Mission . Castner ' s Cutthroats played an integral role in the defense of Alaska during World War II . After the bombing of Dutch Harbor and Japanese invasion of the western Aleutian islands , they headed reconnaissance missions , particularly on the Japanese - occupied islands of Attu , Agattu , and Kiska . They also helped pre - plan landing zones for amphibious assaults on the Japanese - held islands . During the American counterattack , Castner ' s Cutthroats main mission was to serve as guides and messengers for the army regulars . However , when battle preparations were being made to invade Attu , Agattu and Kiska , they warned the U . S . Army that wheeled vehicles would not function on the permafrost and the men would need to be outfitted with warm gear and plenty of food , a warning that was largely ignored . Consequently , many men owe their lives to Castner ' s Cutthroats for protecting them from the weather and providing them with food . Adak Island landing strip . One of the major successes of Castner ' s Cutthroats was the building of an airfield on Adak Island . The army had lost several planes , not to the Japanese , but to Alaskan weather . In order to shorten the distance between the Japanese and American air bases , an airfield on Adak Island was proposed and Castner ' s Cutthroats were sent in to scout for a suitable location . Due to the mountainous terrain of the area , no acceptable site was available . Instead , Castner ' s Cutthroats dammed a lagoon and drained it to use the sandy bottom floor as a temporary landing strip . Engineers later came in and improved the area . Equipment . Standard issue for Castner ' s Cutthroats was a Trapper Nelson pack , hunting knife , . 22LR caliber target pistol and a sniper rifle , instead of the standard issue Springfield rifle , or M1 Garand . However , when it came to firearms , personal preference was the deciding factor . Al Brattain , a crack shot , preferred the M1 Garand because its reduced recoil did not spoil his aim . Trapper Nelson packs held all their supplies for their long mountainous treks . They lived off the land , which allowed them to stay light , unlike most military units of the time . To move from island to island , the men used canoes , from which they fished for salmon . The salmon was dried and stored for the winter , furthering the unit ' s ability to stay out in the field . Memorial . In Kuluk Bay , Alaska , the " Cutthroats " staged a reconnaissance mission . At the spot on the beach where they first came ashore , a plaque has been erected which reads : " On August 28 , 1942 , the U . S . Naval submarines , USS " Triton " and USS " Tuna " , surfaced 4 miles due east of this beach and disembarked a 37 - man U . S . Army intelligence - gathering unit led by Colonel Lawrence V . Castner . The unit was known as " The Alaska Scouts " , or more affectionately as " Castner ' s Cutthroats . " Their mission was to gather information about the Japanese troop strength on Adak and to report their findings to the landing force already on its way from Dutch Harbor . No enemy troops were found , and on August 30 , a 17 - ship landing force with 4 , 500 men and tons of heavy equipment arrived . Their mission : to build an airstrip and troop staging area in preparation for the retaking of the enemy - occupied Aleutian Islands of Attu and Kiska . " Aftermath . Castner retired from the military towards the end of World War II and remained in Alaska . After spending a year as a vice - president of the fledgling Alaska Airlines , he founded a cold storage and wholesaling business in Anchorage , and was regarded as an up - and - coming leader of the local business community . This would prove to be short - lived , as Castner died in December 1949 . A short street in Anchorage , located near the KENI Radio Building , is named for him . Ed Walker , the one of the last surviving members of Castner ' s Cutthroats , died on October 28 , 2011 , at the age of 94 in Anchorage , Alaska . Earl C . Acuff , died on February 13 , 2013 , at the age of 94 in Blacksburg , Virginia . The last survivor Billy Buck is still living .