History

May 25 2018
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Tadashi Ogawa, left, visited Kiska and Attu last summer to shoot footage for "When The Fog Clears." (Photo by Berett Wilber/KUCB)

‘When The Fog Clears’ filmmaker aims to make Forgotten War unforgettable

By | Alaska Native Arts & Culture, Aleutians, Arts & Culture, History, Military, Nation & World

The Aleutian Islands served as the battleground for some of the bloodiest conflicts on American soil since the Civil War. But most people have never heard of the Battle of Attu, the invasion of Kiska, or even the Aleutian campaign. A Japanese filmmaker wants to change that.

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May 20 2018
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The descendants spent time gathering grass on Attu to be used in traditional baskets. (Photo by Zoë Sobel/KUCB)

After 75 Years, a bittersweet homecoming for Attu descendants

By | Alaska Native Arts & Culture, Aleutians, Arts & Culture, History, Military

In 1942, there were 44 people living on Attu Island, nearly all Alaska Natives. They were taken as captives to Japan, where half of them died. And after the war, the federal government forbade them from returning. In August, a group of 11 descendants finally visited their ancestral home for the first time.

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May 14 2018
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Because the Japanese had the advantage of time, the Americans attacked with quadruple the force — more than 12,000 soldiers. (Alaska State Library, Aleutian/Pribilof Project Collection, ASL-P233-V111)

Veterans reflect on cost of reclaiming U.S. soil 75 years after Battle of Attu

By | Aleutians, History, Military

Seventy-five years ago, Japan and the United States were locked in one of the bloodiest battles fought on American soil: the Battle of Attu. In 1943, American troops were streaming into Alaska in preparation for one of the deadliest battles of World War II. One year earlier, Japanese soldiers had bombed Dutch Harbor, seized Attu Island and took the Alaska Native people who lived there as prisoners of war.

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