AP PHOTOS: Black soldiers toiled on Alaska's first land link
Posted June 26, 2017 7:00 am
ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) - Alaska is commemorating 75 years since nearly 4,000 segregated black soldiers toiled in harsh weather and terrain to help build a highway across the state and Canada.
The soldiers worked on the 1,500-mile (2,400-kilometer) highway during World War II, a contribution largely ignored for decades.
It took the soldiers working from the north just over eight months to meet up with white soldiers coming from the south to connect the two segments on Oct. 25, 1942. The route set the foundation for the only land link to Alaska.
State lawmakers voted this year to set aside each Oct. 25 to honor the black soldiers who worked on the Alaska Highway. The anniversary has gained attention this summer with multiple Alaska events.
Leonard Larkins of Louisiana was among the black soldiers who helped build the route. The 96-year-old applauds lawmakers for finally recognizing their role.
Lawmakers note the soldiers' work was a factor in the Army's integration in 1948.
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This June 5, 2017, photo shows World War II veteran Leonard Larkins at an event in Anchorage, Alaska, celebrating the 75th anniversary of construction of the Alaska Highway while someone holds an iconic photo of a black and white soldier shaking hands when the two sides building the road met in 1942. Larkins, of New Orleans, was among scores of segregated black soldiers who toiled in North America's harshest weather and terrain to help build a 1,500-mile highway across Alaska and Canada as a supply route during World War II. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)
The Associated Press
This undated photo provided by Bert Larkins shows Leonard Larkins as a young soldier. Larkins and nearly 4,000 other segregated black soldiers helped build a highway across Alaska and Canada during World War II, a contribution largely ignored for decades but drawing attention as the 75th anniversary approaches (Bert Larkins via AP)
The Associated Press
In this 1942 photo provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Office of History, an African-American soldier leans over to peer through surveyor's transit during construction of the Alaska Highway in the Northern Sector of Alaska. Nearly 4,000 segregated black soldiers helped build the highway across Alaska and Canada during World War II, a contribution largely ignored for decades but drawing attention as the 75th anniversary approaches. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Office of History via AP)
The Associated Press
In this 1942 photo provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Office of History, soldiers try to free a bulldozer stuck in mud during construction of the Alaska Highway, in the Northern Sector of Alaska. Nearly 4,000 segregated black soldiers helped build the highway across Alaska and Canada during World War II, a contribution largely ignored for decades but drawing attention as the 75th anniversary approaches. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Office of History via AP)
The Associated Press
In this 1942 photo provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Office of History, a soldier places dynamite during construction of the Alaska Highway in the Northern Sector of Alaska. Nearly 4,000 segregated black soldiers helped build the highway across Alaska and Canada during World War II, a contribution largely ignored for decades but drawing attention as the 75th anniversary approaches. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Office of History via AP)
The Associated Press
In this 1942 photo provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Office of History, soldiers work at a makeshift bench while working on the Alaska Highway, in the Northern Sector of Alaska. Nearly 4,000 segregated black soldiers helped build the highway across Alaska and Canada during World War II, a contribution largely ignored for decades but drawing attention as the 75th anniversary approaches. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Office of History via AP)
The Associated Press
This May 18, 2017, photo shows World War II veteran Leonard Larkins at his home in New Orleans.Larkins and nearly 4,000 other segregated black soldiers helped build a highway across Alaska and Canada during World War II, a contribution largely ignored for decades but drawing attention as the 75th anniversary approaches. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The Associated Press
This May 18, 2017, photo shows World War II veteran Leonard Larkins holding his World War II hat at his home in New Orleans. Larkins and nearly 4,000 other segregated black soldiers helped build a highway across Alaska and Canada during World War II, a contribution largely ignored for decades but drawing attention as the 75th anniversary approaches. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The Associated Press
This May 18, 2017, photo shows World War II veteran Leonard Larkins at his home in New Orleans. Larkins and nearly 4,000 other segregated black soldiers helped build a highway across Alaska and Canada during World War II, a contribution largely ignored for decades but drawing attention as the 75th anniversary approaches. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
The Associated Press
This June 5, 2017, photo of Jean Pollard in Anchorage, Alaska, shows the back of a T-shirt with the iconic photo of a black and white soldier shaking hands when the two sides building the road met in 1942. Nearly 4,000 segregated black soldiers helped build a highway across Alaska and Canada during World War II, a contribution largely ignored for decades but drawing attention as the 75th anniversary approaches. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)
The Associated Press
This 1942 photo provided by the U.S. Army Corp of Engineers Office of History and taken in the Northern Sector of the ALCAN Highway under construction shows 'Drifters' at work over a high piece of the ALCAN Route in the Yukon. The 'Drifter' is a pneumatic drilling device which makes the hole into which dynamite charges are later placed to blast the road. The highway's 75th anniversary is this year. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Office of History via AP)
The Associated Press
This Nov. 20, 1942, photo provided by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Office of History, shows opening ceremonies of the ALCAN Highway in the Yukon at Soldier's Summit, Alaska. Nearly 4,000 segregated black soldiers helped build the highway across Alaska and Canada during World War II, a contribution largely ignored for decades but drawing attention as the 75th anniversary approaches. (U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Office of History via AP)
The Associated Press
In this June 5, 2017, photo people take photos of World War lI veteran Leonard Larkins at an event in Anchorage, Alaska, celebrating the 75th anniversary of construction of the Alaska Highway. Larkins and nearly 4,000 other segregated black soldiers helped build a highway across Alaska and Canada during World War II, a contribution largely ignored for decades but drawing attention as the 75th anniversary approaches. (AP Photo/Mark Thiessen)
The Associated Press
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