Carl Frederick Scheibner, Sr.

Born on 20 October 1893 at Boonville, Cooper County, Missouri.

Army Serial Number: 3222564 Inducted on 24 May 1918 at Boonville, Missouri.

Assigned to Battery "C" of the 338th Field Artillery for training at Camp Dodge, Iowa till 3 August 1918.

Served overseas from 18 August 1918 to 6 October 1918 with the 88th Division in France.

Served in Company "G" of the 313th Ammunition Train to Discharge Date.

Promoted to SGT in September 1919.

Assigned to National Guard 206th Coast Artillery Corps at Little Rock, Arkansas.

Deployed to Fort Bliss near El Paso, Texas on 17 January 1941 for Anti-Aircraft Artillery Training.

On 7 March 1941, Captain Scheibner was detached from Battery "A", under Anti-Aircraft Artillery Training Center (AATC) Special Order No. 18, for additional training with the Coast Artillery School at Fort Monroe, Virginia.

Assigned to Fort Richardson as a military aide to the Alaska Territorial Governor in January 1942. Responsible for standing up the Alaska Territorial Guard in the eastern half of Alaska.

Death Date: 7 February 1989.

NOTE: Nineteen-forty marked the beginning of what is referred to as the "military Alaska." Another contemporary author would comment that while the "Gold Rush" (1897-1901) gave Alaska its mystique, the military put it on the map.

Because of the growing Japanese threat, the U.S. military rapidly built up the Alaskan defenses. Construction of naval stations at Kodiak and Dutch Harbor was begun, the Naval Air Station at Sitka was expanded, and work was started in June 1940 on building Fort Richardson and Elmendorf Field, near Anchorage.

The first Army troops, the 4th Infantry Regiment, arrived in late June and the first Air Corps unit, the 18th Pursuit Squadron, arrived in February 1941. The almost static population of 72,524 in 1940 increased to 128,643 by 1950.

Army engineers under the direction of COL Benjamin B. Talley built a complex of airfields and bases throughout the territory. They were required to support the war in the North Pacific and the Lend-Lease delivery of aircraft to Russia.

The Navy also greatly expanded their facilities. Other construction efforts were directed at the building of roads and port facilities. The Alaskan Highway (built in six months) is an example of the first, and the Port of Whittier is an example of the latter. The Alaska Railroad and its rolling stock was vastly upgraded to meet the requirements of the military.

The Alaska National Guard was also formed during this "military" period. Originally conceived by Governor John Strong in 1917 as a home guard to protect local communities, it was formally organized when the 1st Battalion, 297th Infantry, formed during 1940-41, was federally recognized 15 September l941.

Territorial Governor Gruening, concerned about the pending loss of the battalion, requested assistance from the Alaskan Defense Command to form a territorial guard. As a result, MAJ Marvin "Muktuk" Marston and Capt Carl F. Scheibner were detailed in 1942 to assist in recruiting and organizing the Alaska Territorial Guard (ATG) which, along with the 297th, formed the basis for the current Alaska National Guard.

Carl F Scheibner