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Research uncovers experience of soldiers
December 07, 2007
Temperatures that often dipped to 40 below. Bears. Mosquitoes. Long days. Low pay.
The 10,000 soldiers who built the Alaska-Canada Highway in 1942 had to face all of these hardships. But for the 4,000 African-American soldiers who worked on the highway, another obstacle stood in their way: racism and isolation.
As PLU assistant communication professor Rob Wells and junior Shannon Schrecengost discovered in the making of the film documentary “Building Connections: Reclaiming the Lost Narratives of the Alaska-Canada Highway,” the lives of all the soldiers on the highway were grueling. For the black troops, this was especially true.
Aside from the harsh conditions, the African-American troops had to face isolation - the military wouldn’t let them into nearby towns – as wells as inadequate clothing (many of the troops were from the South), housing and equipment.
The documentary, which tells the story of the highway, ALCAN for short, premiered this fall and will likely be shown on PBS sometime next year. Both Wells and Schrecengost worked for seven months and traveled 10,000 miles around the country and up the 1,500-mile highway to dig out the story. The highway begins in British Columbia and ends in the Klondike region. It was originally conceived as a way to repel a possible invasion by the Japanese.
In this slideshow, Wells and Schrecengost talk about what these soldiers faced. The photographs are from the collection of William E. Griggs of Baltimore, Md. Griggs, who was 89 at the time these photos were acquired, took part in the construction of the ALCAN more than 65 years ago. A member of the 97th regiment in the Army Corps of Engineers, Griggs served as a regimental photographer.
Despite the hardships, the troops delivered. The road was built in eight months, when military officials thought it would take three years. Wells said the soldiers they talked to have no wish to visit Alaska again but looked back with pride on what they accomplished.
Upon the highway’s completion, many were sent off to active duty in Europe and the South Pacific. The veterans of the Army’s Black Corps of Engineers were members of the 93rd, 95th, 97th and 388th units. After the war, however, their efforts were largely forgotten until recently. Many of the interviewees felt relieved when Wells and Schrencengost showed up on their doorsteps, video recorder in hand.
“I think they were glad to finally tell their story,” Schrecengost said.
University Communications staff writer Barbara Clements and junior Shannon Schrecengost compiled this report. Comments, questions, ideas? Please contact Clements ext. 7427 or at clemenba@plu.edu. Photos from the collection of William E. Griggs.
As PLU assistant communication professor Rob Wells and junior Shannon Schrecengost discovered in the making of the film documentary “Building Connections: Reclaiming the Lost Narratives of the Alaska-Canada Highway,” the lives of all the soldiers on the highway were grueling. For the black troops, this was especially true.
Aside from the harsh conditions, the African-American troops had to face isolation - the military wouldn’t let them into nearby towns – as wells as inadequate clothing (many of the troops were from the South), housing and equipment.
The documentary, which tells the story of the highway, ALCAN for short, premiered this fall and will likely be shown on PBS sometime next year. Both Wells and Schrecengost worked for seven months and traveled 10,000 miles around the country and up the 1,500-mile highway to dig out the story. The highway begins in British Columbia and ends in the Klondike region. It was originally conceived as a way to repel a possible invasion by the Japanese.
In this slideshow, Wells and Schrecengost talk about what these soldiers faced. The photographs are from the collection of William E. Griggs of Baltimore, Md. Griggs, who was 89 at the time these photos were acquired, took part in the construction of the ALCAN more than 65 years ago. A member of the 97th regiment in the Army Corps of Engineers, Griggs served as a regimental photographer.
Despite the hardships, the troops delivered. The road was built in eight months, when military officials thought it would take three years. Wells said the soldiers they talked to have no wish to visit Alaska again but looked back with pride on what they accomplished.
Upon the highway’s completion, many were sent off to active duty in Europe and the South Pacific. The veterans of the Army’s Black Corps of Engineers were members of the 93rd, 95th, 97th and 388th units. After the war, however, their efforts were largely forgotten until recently. Many of the interviewees felt relieved when Wells and Schrencengost showed up on their doorsteps, video recorder in hand.
“I think they were glad to finally tell their story,” Schrecengost said.
University Communications staff writer Barbara Clements and junior Shannon Schrecengost compiled this report. Comments, questions, ideas? Please contact Clements ext. 7427 or at clemenba@plu.edu. Photos from the collection of William E. Griggs.