Walter T. Granath: An Airmen in Alaska
Artifact Analysis Reflection
As my artifact analysis project was closely associated with the military and the increase of the military presence in Alaska, it was easy to see how the Second World War affected the spread of English across the state. This is a perfect example of how a political event promoted the spread of a language. The war required the establishment of the 11th Air Force in the Territory of Alaska and prompted the construction of 18 different airfields across the state. When the war began the military realized the strategic importance of having a road system to move troops and other equipment, especially those too heavy to move by air, prompting the construction of the Alaska Canadian Highway. The construction boom continued into the cold- war, as auxiliary airfields, weather stations and the DEW Line radar system were all established. All of this construction, manpower and money, brought Native Alaskans in contact with English in communities that were otherwise remote and widely overlooked. The destruction of the native languages that had already begun by this point was kicked into high gear by the “progress” English speakers brought into their otherwise isolated communities. Without the Second World War and accompanying military buildup it’s easy to imagine a situation where many of the native speaking communities in the state remained isolated and as a result, retained their native languages for to a much larger degree.
In regards to interpreting texts based upon evidence, I was pleased to discover sources that reflected my own observations with a surprising degree of accuracy. Using the UAA Consortium Library, I found a peer reviewed journal article titled, “Abbreviations in English Military Terminology.” As I was focusing on the Military register for my linguistic analysis and 36 or the 48 informational blocks of my artifact contained abbreviations, this proved the perfect source. One of the claims that the article made, was that the most common military acronyms were four-letters in length, comprising 45.45% of the acronyms in their corpus. Upon review of my document I discovered that of my 36 acronyms, 45.95% were 4-letters in length. I found this correlation between my research and a respected academic source incredibly satisfying and made me feel as if I had completed a legitimate piece of linguistic research and not just another class project.
Another thesis that I discovered in my research was that the use of abbreviations really hit its stride in the bureaucratic environment of the U.S. Government in the early 1940s. This idea was presented by John Alego, in his book Fifty Years Among the New Words. With this in mind I attempted to splits my abbreviations into separate groups including: Military, Government Agency and Civilian, to see if I could find evidence of Alego theory. I found that more “Civilian” abbreviations occurred (22%) than Government (16%) with the remainder being of military origin. However, as I looked at the data, I realized that I didn’t have a decisive way of defining what a Civilian vs a Government Agency abbreviation was, or for that matter the military abbreviations, other than my own opinion. Without a clear and distinguished guideline and result I came up would be opinion at best. If I were going to follow this line of inquiry, I would need a much larger pool of military documents to pull from and would need to repeatedly prove this trend, a task far beyond the scope of this project. However, prior to this course I don’t think I would have ever even considered researching something like this, let alone what I would need to legitimize my results.
Public Summary
The artifact I chose to examine is a Department of Defense form DD214 belonging to my grandfather, Walter T. Granath. This document was created in 1954 and is his official separation paperwork from the United States Air Force. The Air Force is what originally brought my grandfather to Alaska when it was still just a U.S. territory. I never met my grandfather, but from his DD214 I learned more about his life and the role he played in the military in Alaska.
From a linguistic perspective, the DD214 provides an excellent piece of evidence to examine the military register. It demonstrates the extensive use of military acronyms at use during this period in Alaska and includes new terminology specific to Alaska. Additionally, it illustrates that while the force was only recently established as a military branch separate from the Army Air Corp, very little terminology was left over .
Through this document I discovered the increasing importance of the United States Airforce in Alaska as it transitioned from a post-World War II to an early cold-war era. The role of the Headquarters Unit at Elmendorf Air force base, my grandfather’s unit, played a key role in this period as the military presence in Alaska expanded rapidly. Finally, the document provides evidence to the issues and quality of life Airmen like my grandfather experienced on a daily basis.
Abstract
This poster details the mission of the military presence in the Territory of Alaska, focusing on the mission of the Alaskan Air Command (ACC) in the post-World War two era and into the early days of the cold-war from 1949-1954. This poster also focuses on SSgt Walter T. Granath, an airman assigned to the headquarters unit of the ACC and through his experiences, better understand the issues facing members of the Air Force stationed in Alaska during this period. SSgt Granath’s discharge paperwork (DD214) also provides a prime opportunity to examine the military register in the English language during the period, particularly in its use of military acronyms.
Over the course of this project I examined the broad mission of the AAC which helped a unique position in the U.S. military structure and was responsible for all military activities in the Territory of Alaska regardless of service affiliation. I also focus on the evidence the DD214 provides as to SSgt Granath’s quality of life, specifically looking at his pay, home address and leave usage. With the use of publicly available records I was able to extrapolate information not readily apparent in the document. Finally, by examining the use of acronyms as part of the military register used in the document, I determine to what extent the military register played a part in the average Airmen’s day to day life. Additionally I discovered a single acronym with ties to the Army Air Corps, the predecessor of the United States Air Force, indicating that the transition from one service to another was almost complete by then.
Annotated Bibliography
Garfield, Brian. The Thousand-Mile War: World War II in Alaska and the Aleutians. N. Doubleday, 1983.
The Thousand-Mile War provides an excellent source of Alaska military history. Beginning in 1940, it records the first arrival of the first members of the 11th Air Force and the prewar construction of many of Alaska’s military infrastructure. It highlights the many of the obstacles that military aviators faced in the Territory of Alaska. It includes specific information and photos regarding the Battles of the Aleutian chain, including Attu and Kiska. The books provide important background information on the buildup and strategic importance of military forces in the state directly preceding the Cold War. In the postwar years the 11th Air Force transitioned into the Alaskan Air Command (AAC) and this book highlights both the challenges and legacy the ACC and by extension, SSgt Granath will face during his tenure.
Carlson, Phyllis D., and Laurel D. Bill. Aunt Phil's Trunk: An Alaska Historian's Collection of Treasured Tales. Trafford Publishing, 2006.
Aunt Phil’s Trunk is a wide ranging collection of stories of Alaskan history from between 1935 and 1960. This book provides personal accounts and adds a wider perspective on the military buildup in the state and its impact on the civilian population. In Chapter 20, titled “The Red Scare” it even provides a broad explanation of the formation of the Defense Early Warning Line (DEW) in the earlier years of the cold-war. Aunt Phil’s Trunk also provides specific information to the living and conditions SSgt Granath and the other Airmen would have dealt with on a daily basis. This is important to my focus on the experiences of the Airmen that worked in Alaska and supported the military operations during this period.
Malenica, Frane, and Ivo Fabijanic. "Abbreviations in English Military Terminology." Brno Studies in English, vol. 39, no. 1, 2013, pp. 59-87.
"Abbreviations in English Military Terminology” provides detailed information concerning the use of abbreviations, both alphatbetisms and acronyms as part of the U.S. military’s linguistics register. It asserts that the use of abbreviations increased in the early 1940s and were used increasingly by the United States military until they became a commonly accepted part of the lexicon. The article also provides detailed statistics as to the frequency, format and length of military abbreviations. As SSgt Granath’s DD214 contains 36 military abbreviations in the 48 blocks of information provided I will youthis report to demonstrate how the document is an accurate example of the military register at use during the period and illustrate in which ways it is unusual.
Stone, Kirk H., vol. 39, no. 1, 2013, pp. 59-87. Alaskan Group Settlement: The Matanuska Valley Colony, ProQuest Dissertations Publishing, 1949.
Kirk Stone’s dissertation on the formation of the Matanuska Colony provides a wealth of information on the newly formed Matanuska-Susitna valley, including geography, land allocation and infrastructure. Written in 1949, the dissertation includes a brief history of the colonies formation and a record of the rapid expanse of the state during World War two. Included in the work is a variety of maps and commentary on the quality of life in the growing territory. As SSgt Granath’s address listed on his DD214 is a General Delivery address in Palmer, much of what Stone experienced in the colony would have been shared with the young airman. This document will allow me to round out SSgt Granath’s life outside of his military occupation.
Fletcher, Joseph O. “Three Months on an Arctic Ice Island: Floating on a Glacial Fragment, U. S. Air Force Scientists Probe Top-of-the-World Mysteries within 100 Miles of the Pole.” National Geographic Magazine, Vol. 103, no. 4, 1953, p.489-502.
Joseph Fletcher’s 1953 article for National Geographic Magazine, follows a group of scientists that with the help of the Alaskan Air Command, establishes a research station on a floating piece of pack ice. The experiment was repeated from 1949-1952 and was made possible by Air Force pilots landing on the floating ice and resupplying the station by air. The article highlights the dangers and technical difficulties the scientist and Airman had to overcome to work at the station. It also emphasizes the importance of their work in understanding ocean currents and weather patterns in the arctic. This article will help me to expand the broad historical context of the Air Force in Alaska during this period. While the territory was strategically important to the Air Force and their presence prompted the growth of infrastructure, they also contributed to important scientific research during the period.
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PHILLIP D. GRANATH is a junior pursuing a Baccalaureate degree in English. This piece was selected by Professor Jennifer Stone.