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Alaska Guard 'First Scouts' Awarded Heroism Medal for 1955 Rescue

On June 22, 1955, two Russian MiG-15s from Siberia shot down a U.S. Navy P2V-5 Neptune plane flying a routine maritime patrol from Kodiak out over the Bering Sea. After it crashed in flames on St. Lawrence Island, 16 Alaska National Guardsmen from the First Scout Battalion mounted an immediate rescue mission, ultimately saving everyone on board.

 
On March 28, 2023, more than 67 years later, the Alaska National Guard and Alaska Office of Veterans Affairs presented the Alaska Heroism Medal, the state's highest award for valor during peacetime, to one veteran and 15 family representatives of the Alaska Army National Guard's First Scouts.
 
A soldier pins a medal to a man’s jacket.
Heroism Medal
Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe, adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard and commissioner of the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs, pins the Alaska Heroism Medal on Cpl. Bruce Boolowon, the only surviving member of the June 22, 1955, Alaska National Guard First Scout Battalion rescue team, in Gambell, Alaska, March 28, 2023. The Alaska Heroism Medal is the state’s highest award for valor during peacetime.
Photo By: Robert DeBerry, Alaska National Guard
VIRIN: 230328-Z-DX219-1010

The ceremony took place in front of a packed gymnasium of more than 250 community members at the John Apangalook Memorial High School in Gambell, Alaska, a St. Lawrence Island town located south of the Bering Strait and approximately eight miles from where the Navy plane crashed.
 
An Alaska Air National Guard HC-130J Combat King II and crew assigned to the 211th Rescue Squadron, 176th Wing, flew a delegation of 32 soldiers, airmen and civilians with the Alaska National Guard and DMVA from Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson to Gambell for the ceremony.
 
Cpl. Bruce Boolowon, the only surviving member of the rescue team, attended the ceremony and received his medal from Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe, adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard and commissioner of the DMVA.

A red ribbon with center white and gold stripes and a medal that reads Heroism Alaska State with a service member carrying another in the center.
Alaska Heroism Medal
The Alaska Heroism Medal is awarded to any member of the Alaska National Guard who distinguished themselves by heroism, exceptionally meritorious achievement, or exceptionally meritorious service beyond the call of duty.
Photo By: Victoria Granado, Alaska National Guard
VIRIN: 220630-Z-MK318-1002F
Three bronze medals with the inscription Heroism are displayed in cases.
Alaska Heroism Medals
Alaska Heroism Medals sit ready for the ceremony at the John Apangalook Memorial High School gymnasium honoring 16 Alaska Army National Guard First Scouts for their heroism during a 1955 rescue mission after two Russian MiG-15s shot down a U.S. Navy P2V-5 Neptune plane flying a routine maritime patrol over the Bering Sea with 11 sailors on board, March 28, 2023.
Photo By: Robert DeBerry
VIRIN: 230328-Z-DX219-1004

Following the ceremony, Boolowon said that he was appreciative for the recognition and proud of the First Scouts' service. He retired from the Alaska Army National Guard as a sergeant first class having served as a motorman and infantryman he said.
 
During the ceremony, Saxe recounted the story of how the Alaska Scouts heard the crash, witnessed the Russian planes in the air and responded in their umiaks, open boats with wooden frames and covered by bearded seal or walrus hides. He said they had to make an immediate decision to cover miles of open water to get to the crash site to render aid, all the while the Russian MiGs remained circling overhead.
 
"Nobody in the chain of command, no higher-up, no general told them to go out and save those sailors," Saxe said. "They saw it happen. They took charge, and they moved out."
 
Once the Scouts moved the sailors to the beach, members of the community joined in to help stabilize them, eventually transferring them to the town church where they continued medical treatment for two days until a plane arrived to evacuate them to Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage.
 

A woman looks at a medal.
Sherry Apatiki
Sherry Apatiki looks at the Alaska Heroism Medal she accepted on behalf of Sgt. Ralph Apatiki Sr. during a ceremony in Gambell, Alaska, the March 28, 2023. Apatiki Sr. was a member of the Alaska National Guard First Scout Battalion that mounted a rescue mission of 11 sailors after their U.S. Navy P2V-5 Neptune plane was shot down on June 22, 1955, by two Russian MiG-15s.
Photo By: Robert DeBerry, Alaska National Guard
VIRIN: 230328-Z-DX219-1011

"Because of the expertise of the people of Gambell and the Alaska Scouts, they were able to stabilize the 11 sailors and not one man of the 11 died," Saxe said. "This is a long time coming and absolutely deserved. And truly it is an honor to be here today. We are eternally grateful." 
 
Saxe approved the awards after, Verdie Bowen, the director of the Office of Veterans Affairs, learned about the event and realized the Alaska Scouts had never been fully recognized for their heroic actions. Bowen dug deeper into the history of the event and ultimately submitted the 16 Alaska Scouts for the Alaska Heroism Medal, which didn't exist at the time of the rescue.
 
"In 1955 each member received a Letter of Appreciation for their actions," Bowen said, who explained that at the time there were no peacetime medals in the U.S. or National Guard inventory that could be awarded for First Scouts' heroic actions.
 
The award citation states that the First Scouts mobilized and rescued the 11-member crew who received critical burns and gunshot and shrapnel wounds. The two MiG 15's that shot down the Navy patrol plane remained overhead during the extraction, approximately 40 miles from Siberia and 200 miles west of Nome.
 

People with phones take photos of a man sitting down with a black veteran hat.
Family and Friends
Family and friends take pictures of Alaska Heroism Medal recipient Cpl. Bruce Boolowon in the John Apangalook Memorial High School gymnasium in Gambell, Alaska, on March 28, 2023. Boolowon is sitting next to a painting of a U.S. Navy P2V-5 Neptune plane that was shot down on June 22, 1955, by two Russian MiG-15s over the Bering Sea after it crashed in flames on St. Lawrence Island.
Photo By: Air Force Staff Sgt. Joseph P. LeVeille
VIRIN: 230328-Z-DX219-1012

"The community reached out requesting commendation that more accurately recognized the valor of these brave men," said Bowen, stating that part of the Office of Veterans Affairs mission is to help veterans obtain earned military awards.
 
"No matter how long it takes, we are dedicated to honoring those that served with valor," Bowen said.

The Scout Battalions of the 297th Infantry Regiment, Alaska National Guard were formed during World War II, composed primarily of Native Alaskan service members. During the Cold War, they operated from small villages in Northern and Western Alaska, constantly observing the Bering Sea coastline and often providing significant intelligence information.

A painting shows members of the Scout Battalions of the 297th Infantry Regiment
Scout Battalions
A painting shows members of the Scout Battalions of the 297th Infantry Regiment, Alaska National Guard. Composed primarily of Native Alaskan service members, the battalions were formed during World War II to patrol northern and western Alaska, especially the Bering Sea coastline to provide early warning of enemy activities. Painting by Mort Kunstler for the National Guard Heritage Paintings series
Photo By: Mort Kunstler for the National Guard Heritage Paintings series
VIRIN: 171023-D-ZZ999-502

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