SJR 5: Urging the United States Department of Defense to pay veterans benefits retroactively and to continue to provide retirement benefits for members of the Alaska Territorial Guard who served during World War II.
00 SENATE JOINT RESOLUTION NO. 5 01 Urging the United States Department of Defense to pay veterans benefits retroactively 02 and to continue to provide retirement benefits for members of the Alaska Territorial 03 Guard who served during World War II. 04 BE IT RESOLVED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA: 05 WHEREAS, in 1942, the Alaska Territorial Guard was formed by Territorial 06 Governor Ernest Gruening in response to Japanese activity around Alaska; and 07 WHEREAS, during World War II, approximately 6,389 members of the Alaska 08 Territorial Guard served without compensation in the state while the Alaska National Guard 09 was deployed; and 10 WHEREAS the Alaska Territorial Guard engaged in combat with the enemy, 11 protected the lend-lease route that stretched from North America to the Soviet Union, and 12 rescued downed airmen; and 13 WHEREAS sec. 8147 of the Department of Defense Appropriations Act, 2001 (P.L. 14 106-259, 38 U.S.C. 106) requires the United States Secretary of Defense to issue certificates 15 of honorable discharge to members of the Alaska Territorial Guard based on the nature and
01 duration of each individual's World War II service; and 02 WHEREAS Alaska Territorial Guard members who have been honorably discharged 03 are considered to be on active duty for the purposes of all laws administered by the United 04 States Secretary of Veterans Affairs, including laws relating to veterans' benefits; and 05 WHEREAS approximately 25 Alaska Native elders who served in the Alaska 06 Territorial Guard are still receiving benefits; and 07 WHEREAS the recent decision of the United States Department of Defense to reverse 08 the determination that service in the Alaska Territorial Guard during World War II be 09 regarded as active duty for military retirement purposes is of grave concern because it will 10 leave approximately 25 Alaska Native elders who live in the most remote parts of Alaska 11 without critical funds to pay the costs, among the highest in the nation, of heating fuel and 12 food during an already tough Alaska winter; 13 BE IT RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests the United 14 States Department of Defense to honor the service provided by the Alaska Territorial Guard 15 by providing retroactive benefits and continuing retirement benefits for members of the 16 Alaska Territorial Guard; and be it 17 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature urges the United States 18 Department of Defense to assess the effect of the loss of military retirement benefits on 19 Alaska Native elders to determine how best to compensate them for the loss of payments; and 20 be it 21 FURTHER RESOLVED that the Alaska State Legislature respectfully requests that 22 a senior official from the United States Department of Defense issue official apologies to the 23 Alaska Native elders who were members of the Alaska Territorial Guard and who received 24 letters indicating that their benefits would be discontinued. 25 COPIES of this resolution shall be sent to the Honorable Barack Obama, President of 26 the United States; the Honorable Eric K. Shinseki, United States Secretary of Veterans 27 Affairs; the Honorable Pete Geren, United States Secretary of the Army; and the Honorable 28 Lisa Murkowski and the Honorable Mark Begich, U.S. Senators, and the Honorable Don 29 Young, U.S. Representative, members of the Alaska delegation in Congress.