Where Military Service and Alaska meet...

I often struggle to reconcile my duties as a military officer with the more free-spirited side of me that feels deeply called to run off to Alaska with paintbrush in one hand, camera in the other, and a pen shoved behind my ear.  I'm sure that back in Alaska I would be writing the best novel the world has ever seen, developing an economically feasible structure to implement world peace, and growing perfect tomatoes in the one-month window available (organic, of course).

The reality of my current situation is that while the Navy does take me away from my writing and other creative pursuits for chunks of time, and can cause such stress that I feel anything but creative, military service has also shown me a structured and disciplined way to approach my projects, and has introduced me to the places and people that I write about.... without the Navy experience, I don't think I would have a lot to say!

As my quest for balance continues, I thought the article below, first published in Military Times, is an interesting look at what can happen when my worlds meet: 

Joint team to relocate entire Alaskan town

Staff report
Posted : Sunday Sep 6, 2009 8:20:52 EDT

The town of Newtok, Alaska — population 350 — is sinking. Rising Arctic temperatures mean the nearby Ninglick River is growing, the permafrost on which the town stands is melting, and the tiny village doesn’t have much time left.


The solution? Move the town.


Airmen, sailors, Marines and National Guardsmen will spend the next five years on a project doing just that, according to a Navy announcement, using summer windows of clear weather to relocate Newtok to higher, drier ground about nine miles away.


The joint team, made up mostly of reservists, used its first trip in late August to establish a base camp from which to operate and accept more supplies.

“Our attempt this year was just to get a foothold,” said Marine Master Sgt. Graham Hilson of Huntington Beach, Calif., mission commander and operations chief for Alpha Company, 6th Engineer Support Battalion, 4th Marine Logistics Group. The team also laid down a layer of Dura-Base, mats that Marines use for expeditionary runways, as a temporary road and base for the camp site.


In 2010, another team will return to build a road leading from a barge landing to the new village site, so supplies and people can arrive by utility landing craft and help with the move to the new town. The military team also plans to build an airfield and an evacuation shelter during future visits to Newtok.


It won’t be easy, however, and part of the goal for the Pentagon is to give reservists a chance to practice their skills in the difficult Alaskan environment.


The Newtok town move is one of several projects the Pentagon is coordinating as part of its Innovative Readiness Training program, which lends service members to help with local building and engineering jobs.