Alaska Highway Veterans facts for kids
The Alaska Highway Veterans were a special group of about 4,000 African American soldiers. They were part of the United States Army Corps of Engineers. In 1942, these brave soldiers helped build the important Alaska Highway. Many people believe their amazing work on the highway helped lead to the military ending segregation in 1948.
Building the Alaska Highway
The idea to build the Alaska Highway came from President Franklin D. Roosevelt. He approved the project in February 1942. This was during World War II, and many Army engineers were busy fighting elsewhere.
At that time, the military had separate groups for different races. Even though some people thought African American engineers were not as skilled, the Army needed all the help it could get. So, they assigned regiments of African American engineers to this huge project.
About 11,000 soldiers worked on the highway. They were divided into three African American regiments and four white regiments.
A Historic Completion
The Alaska Highway was finished very quickly, on October 25, 1942. A memorable moment happened when an African American soldier and a white soldier shook hands. This happened as the very last part of the highway was connected.
In 2017, Governor Bill Walker of Alaska signed a special law. This law, called Senate Bill 46, officially honored the great work of the Alaska Highway Veterans. Governor Walker said that the federal government itself called this highway "the road to civil rights." This shows how important their efforts were for equality.
