John 10: Veterans Week
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Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep.
All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them.
I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved.
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The gate is placed in the gap to protect those who cannot stand for themselves.
That is what Christ does, and that is what true warriors do.
This week we honor those who stand in the gap for us, our veterans.
During WWII over 6,300 Alaskan Natives enlisted in the Alaskan Territorial Guard (ATG), aged 12 to 80 years old.
Their race kept them from enlisting in the regular Army.
But the ATG served as the eyes and ears of the US Military.
They were the gatekeepers of the Alaska Territory.
ATG members were issued army uniforms and rifles.
They were trained in guerrilla tactics and use of light artillery in case of invasion.
They shot down incendiary and explosive balloons.
They rescued downed pilots and secured strategic airfields.
They were not paid for their service or recognized as Army veterans.
The ATG was formed in 1942 and dissolved after the war.
There were no official Army records of their service.
But in the year 2000--58 years later--Congress recognized ATG members as veterans.
This entitled them to certain benefits but by that point most of them only received an official veterans headstone.
They stood in the gap for our nation--for all of us.
Today we remember, and we honor them for their service.
That is the only payment they ever desired.