Interviewer
Charles "Milo" McLeod
Files
Description
Wally Gerston describes his decision to join the Montana Guard in 1959, and his first years spent serving in the Havre, Montana unit. He talks about the basic skills he learned during his weekly, four-hour night drills. He recalls serving with the Alaskan National Guard and working the Eskimo Scouts, or First Rifle Platoon, whose members were recruited from small fishing villages in Alaska. Gerston tells how the scouts are trained to use live ammunition and camouflage themselves with all-white gear in order to guard the Bering Sea against enemy invasion into Alaska.
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Document Type
Oral History
Subjects
Chinook, Montana; Havre, Montana; Montana National Guard; U.S. military; National Guard of the United States; Alaskan National Guard; Eskimo Scouts
Original Date
1985
Time Period
Twentieth century
Geographic Coverage
Montana
Language
eng
Original Collection
Military History of Montana Oral History Project, OH 150, Archives and Special Collections, Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula
Digital Publisher
University of Montana--Missoula. Mansfield Library
Rights
Copyright to this collection is held by the interview participants and by the Maureen and Mike Mansfield Library, University of Montana-Missoula. Permission may be required for use. For further information please contact Archives and Special Collections: (406) 243-2053 / library.archives@umontana.edu
Oral History Number
OH 150-003
Media Type
Sound; Text
Original Format
1 sound cassette (01:00:00 min.) analog + 1 transcript (7 p.: 28 cm.)
Digital Format
audio/mp3; application/pdf
Run Time
00:14:07 minutes
Local Filename
OH_150_003.mp3; OH_150_003.pdf
Citation
Gertson, Wally, "Wally Gertson Interview, 1985" (1985). Military History of Montana Oral History Project. 3.
https://scholarworks.umt.edu/montanamilitary_oralhistory/3