Mel
03-22-2010, 08:12 PM
Alaska Scout honored with long overdue recognitions
By MARY M. RALL
Alaska Star
photo:military
Elizabeth Lohman talks with her father, Drafin “Buck” Delkettie, March 1 at the Alaska Native Medical Center following the awarding of medals he earned during his World War II service.
STAR PHOTO BY MARY M. RALL
Recognition that was more than 50 years in coming was awarded to veteran Drafin “Buck” Delkettie at the Alaska Native Medical Center March 1.
Family and friends gathered at Delkettie's bedside as he was awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge, Bronze Star, Good Conduct Medal and the World War II Victory Medal, awards he was eligible to receive through his service during World War II.
Delkettie, 86, is battling cancer and was awarded the medals when it was discovered that oversights had been made in his service history.
“There were many oversights. Particularly when he had started out in the National Guard then transferred to regular Army,” said retired Air Force Col. Suellyn Wright Novak of Eagle River, a member of the Alaska Veterans Memorial Museum's oral history team.
According to Delkettie's service records, he became one of the state's first servicemen when the Alaska National Guard was organized in September 1939. Maj. Mike Haller, a Guard public affairs officer, said he was called to federal active duty for World War II in 1941, at which time he served as a member of the Alaska Scouts, nicknamed Castner's Cutthroats, until he separated in 1945 after the war ended.
Haller said he had an opportunity to get to know Delkettie when the Athabaskan veteran accompanied the Guard on a couple of tours of the Aleutian Islands during the 1990s, during which Delkettie shared stories of his tour of duty as one of Castner's Cutthroats.
“We walked the battlegrounds, we walked the area where he had been. It was just amazing to go with him,” Haller said, relaying a story from Delkettie's service during World War II that he shared with him during a refueling stop on Adak Island.
photo:military
Col. Jeff Arnold displays the Bronze Star, Good Conduct Medal and the World War II Victory Medal, left, prior to awarding them to Drafin “Buck” Delkettie. Delkettie was also awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge.
STAR PHOTOS BY MARY M. RALL
“The Japanese had gotten on to Adak prior to the Americans landing, but he was one of those American patrols that arrived by submarine, came ashore and were scouting some positions and came across the Japanese,” Haller said. “Their job was to not be seen or heard by the Japanese or let them know that they were anywhere nearby. Also, they needed to know where the Japanese were.”
Haller told of how Delkettie's patrol discovered a group of Japanese soldiers warming themselves at a fire on a grassy knoll and a close call they had while gathering intelligence.
“His patrol was creeping through the grass on their elbows and knees, came up and saw their little fire, heard them, got close to them so they could figure out how many there were,” Haller said, adding that all was going well until one of the Japanese soldiers sneezed and a member of Delkettie's patrol had to cover the mouth of another American soldier with his hand before he could instinctively say, “Gesundheit.”
Despite the close call, the American soldiers went undiscovered, and Haller said they were able to crawl back through the island's long, wet grass without the Japanese soldiers ever realizing they were there.
“They were grateful, he said, because the wind was blowing just enough that it literally covered their departure,” Haller said. “Because otherwise it would have left some kind of an imprint, and all it would have taken was one of those Japanese guys to notice it.”
It was through gathering such oral histories that Novak said it was discovered that Delkettie had not received all the service awards he was entitled to.
“It's just justice being done,” she said. “They earned these, and through oversights on paperwork and etcetera, they just didn't get awarded.”
photo:military
Col. Jeff Arnold pins awards on the hospital gown of Delkettie March 1 at the Alaska Native Medical Center.
STAR PHOTO BY MARY M. RALL
Novak said Delkettie is one of three Alaska Scouts who remain in the state, five of whom remain in the United States.
She said it is one of the museum's goals to make sure the state's veterans are recognized.
“The museum has a three-fold mission. One is to create a museum, and we're actively pursuing that,” Novak said. “The second is to educate the public on persons, operations and sacrifices. That's what we do through the oral histories and the medal awards...And the last one is to actually support out active duty, our Guard, reserve, retirees and veterans.”
Gerald Delkettie, Buck's son, said receiving the awards meant a lot to his father.
“He's waited like 50-something years for this thing and to prove that he was in the Castner's Cutthroats,” Gerald Delkettie said. “I just kind of wish that he had been a little more alert to recognize the event.”
Gerald Delkettie said his father has always looked back with pride on his years of military service.
“That's all he ever talked about was World War II and his service down here on the Aleutian Islands,” Gerald Delkettie said. “I felt a great pride in him, seeing what he's accomplished, and he's accomplished a lot. There isn't too many things he hasn't seen or done in Alaska.”
Reach the reporter at mary.rall@alaskastar.com.
This article published in The Alaska Star on Thursday, March 8, 2007.
By MARY M. RALL
Alaska Star
photo:military
Elizabeth Lohman talks with her father, Drafin “Buck” Delkettie, March 1 at the Alaska Native Medical Center following the awarding of medals he earned during his World War II service.
STAR PHOTO BY MARY M. RALL
Recognition that was more than 50 years in coming was awarded to veteran Drafin “Buck” Delkettie at the Alaska Native Medical Center March 1.
Family and friends gathered at Delkettie's bedside as he was awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge, Bronze Star, Good Conduct Medal and the World War II Victory Medal, awards he was eligible to receive through his service during World War II.
Delkettie, 86, is battling cancer and was awarded the medals when it was discovered that oversights had been made in his service history.
“There were many oversights. Particularly when he had started out in the National Guard then transferred to regular Army,” said retired Air Force Col. Suellyn Wright Novak of Eagle River, a member of the Alaska Veterans Memorial Museum's oral history team.
According to Delkettie's service records, he became one of the state's first servicemen when the Alaska National Guard was organized in September 1939. Maj. Mike Haller, a Guard public affairs officer, said he was called to federal active duty for World War II in 1941, at which time he served as a member of the Alaska Scouts, nicknamed Castner's Cutthroats, until he separated in 1945 after the war ended.
Haller said he had an opportunity to get to know Delkettie when the Athabaskan veteran accompanied the Guard on a couple of tours of the Aleutian Islands during the 1990s, during which Delkettie shared stories of his tour of duty as one of Castner's Cutthroats.
“We walked the battlegrounds, we walked the area where he had been. It was just amazing to go with him,” Haller said, relaying a story from Delkettie's service during World War II that he shared with him during a refueling stop on Adak Island.
photo:military
Col. Jeff Arnold displays the Bronze Star, Good Conduct Medal and the World War II Victory Medal, left, prior to awarding them to Drafin “Buck” Delkettie. Delkettie was also awarded the Combat Infantryman's Badge.
STAR PHOTOS BY MARY M. RALL
“The Japanese had gotten on to Adak prior to the Americans landing, but he was one of those American patrols that arrived by submarine, came ashore and were scouting some positions and came across the Japanese,” Haller said. “Their job was to not be seen or heard by the Japanese or let them know that they were anywhere nearby. Also, they needed to know where the Japanese were.”
Haller told of how Delkettie's patrol discovered a group of Japanese soldiers warming themselves at a fire on a grassy knoll and a close call they had while gathering intelligence.
“His patrol was creeping through the grass on their elbows and knees, came up and saw their little fire, heard them, got close to them so they could figure out how many there were,” Haller said, adding that all was going well until one of the Japanese soldiers sneezed and a member of Delkettie's patrol had to cover the mouth of another American soldier with his hand before he could instinctively say, “Gesundheit.”
Despite the close call, the American soldiers went undiscovered, and Haller said they were able to crawl back through the island's long, wet grass without the Japanese soldiers ever realizing they were there.
“They were grateful, he said, because the wind was blowing just enough that it literally covered their departure,” Haller said. “Because otherwise it would have left some kind of an imprint, and all it would have taken was one of those Japanese guys to notice it.”
It was through gathering such oral histories that Novak said it was discovered that Delkettie had not received all the service awards he was entitled to.
“It's just justice being done,” she said. “They earned these, and through oversights on paperwork and etcetera, they just didn't get awarded.”
photo:military
Col. Jeff Arnold pins awards on the hospital gown of Delkettie March 1 at the Alaska Native Medical Center.
STAR PHOTO BY MARY M. RALL
Novak said Delkettie is one of three Alaska Scouts who remain in the state, five of whom remain in the United States.
She said it is one of the museum's goals to make sure the state's veterans are recognized.
“The museum has a three-fold mission. One is to create a museum, and we're actively pursuing that,” Novak said. “The second is to educate the public on persons, operations and sacrifices. That's what we do through the oral histories and the medal awards...And the last one is to actually support out active duty, our Guard, reserve, retirees and veterans.”
Gerald Delkettie, Buck's son, said receiving the awards meant a lot to his father.
“He's waited like 50-something years for this thing and to prove that he was in the Castner's Cutthroats,” Gerald Delkettie said. “I just kind of wish that he had been a little more alert to recognize the event.”
Gerald Delkettie said his father has always looked back with pride on his years of military service.
“That's all he ever talked about was World War II and his service down here on the Aleutian Islands,” Gerald Delkettie said. “I felt a great pride in him, seeing what he's accomplished, and he's accomplished a lot. There isn't too many things he hasn't seen or done in Alaska.”
Reach the reporter at mary.rall@alaskastar.com.
This article published in The Alaska Star on Thursday, March 8, 2007.