The Black Soldiers Who Built the Alaska Highway: A History of Four U.S. Army Regiments in the North, 1942–1943

by John Virtue

This is the first detailed account of the 5,000 black troops who were reluctantly sent north by the United States Army during World War II to help build the Alaska Highway and install the companion Canol pipeline. Theirs were the first black regiments deployed outside the lower 48 states during the war. The enlisted men, most of them from the South, faced racial discrimination from white officers, were barred from entering any towns for fear they would procreate a “mongrel” race with local women, and endured winter conditions they had never experienced before. Despite this, they won praise for their dedication and their work. Congress in 2005 said that the wartime service of the four regiments covered here contributed to the eventual desegregation of the Armed Forces.

228 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 27, 2012

Reviews

[Jbondandrews · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very interesting story of history. Hope to find more books about the Alaska Highway.

[Dennis McClure · Rating 4 out of 5]

As some of you know, Epicenter Press released a book about the construction of the Alaska Highway written by my wife Christine and I last fall. Our book We Fought the Road focused on the 93rd Engineering Regiment and its efforts in Yukon.

Clearly there is overlap between our book and this one. And that makes this an awkward review to write.

Our work in progress, A Different Race, focuses on the 97th Engineers in Alaska. Clearly, I needed to read this book again to assess the degree of overlap. I've discovered, to my great relief, that the overlap is slight.

Chris and I focus on the experience of men on the ground--how it felt. Mr Virtue is more interested in the racial context--the statutes and the rules. As I read his book, I realized that it doesn't compete with ours. It complements ours.

We share a goal--recognition for these men who gave so much and received so little.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's staggering how little of this is known. Virtue does a superb job painting a visceral picture of the struggle Black troops went through to build the Alcan. Once again, David Eastman should be ashamed of himself... and we should all be more than a little bit embarrassed that these stories aren't a more prominent chapter in American history.