00                      SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 4                                                                     
01 Supporting the efforts of the Alaska Congressional delegation to restore military service                               
02 retirement credit for members of the Alaska Territorial Guard who served during                                         
03 World War II.                                                                                                           
04 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                               
05       WHEREAS, in 1942, as World War II engulfed the nation, Governor Ernest Gruening                               
06 organized the Alaska Territorial Guard; and                                                                             
07       WHEREAS nearly 6,400 Alaskans, mostly Alaska Natives, volunteered to defend the                                 
08 territory; and                                                                                                          
09       WHEREAS members of the Alaska Territorial Guard engaged in missions directed by                                 
10 the United States military, including combat with the Japanese, rescuing downed pilots, and                             
11 protecting the Lend-Lease route between Alaska and Siberia; and                                                         
12       WHEREAS, in 2000, because of the efforts of Alaska's U.S. Senator, Ted Stevens,                                 
13 the United States Congress passed legislation that required that service as a member of the                             
14 Alaska Territorial Guard during World War II of an individual who was honorably discharged                              
15 be considered active duty for purposes of all laws administered by the United States Secretary                          

01 of Defense; and                                                                                                         
02       WHEREAS those who served in the Alaska Territorial Guard have received credit                                   
03 from the United States Army for active duty service in the United States Army for purposes of                           
04 military retirement payments; and                                                                                       
05       WHEREAS, based on a new interpretation of the law, the United States Department                                 
06 of Defense has denied military retirement benefits, effective February 1, 2009, for 25 Alaska                           
07 Native elders who served in the Alaska Territorial Guard and who had qualified for and were                             
08 receiving retirement benefits; and                                                                                      
09       WHEREAS the benefits for the Native elders who served in the Alaska Territorial                                 
10 Guard will be reduced by an average of $386 a month, and some by more than $500 a month,                                
11 which is a substantial portion of their income; and                                                                     
12       WHEREAS U.S. Senator Lisa Murkowski, U.S Senator Mark Begich, and U.S.                                          
13 Representative Don Young have prepared and intend to introduce legislation to correct any                               
14 related deficiency in the law; and                                                                                      
15       WHEREAS the 25 Alaska Native veterans of the Alaska Territorial Guard are entitled                              
16 to the military retirement benefit they are now being denied;                                                           
17       BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature supports the efforts of the                                    
18 Alaska Congressional delegation to secure and restore credit for military retirement for                                
19 service during World War II by members of the Alaska Territorial Guard; and be it                                       
20       FURTHER RESOLVED that President Obama should direct the United States                                           
21 Secretary of Defense to issue an apology to the veterans of the Alaska Territorial Guard for                            
22 the adverse decision made by the United States Department of Defense.                                                   
23       COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of                             
24 the United States; the Honorable Robert M. Gates, United States Secretary of Defense; and                               
25 the Honorable Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. Senators, and the                                      
26 Honorable Don Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.