2nd Battalion, 15th Field Artillery
Fort Wainwright, Alaska
During the 1960's

15th FA photos - 1960's

These images were provided by Dennis Defrain,
host of the November 2001 reunion
in Phoenix, Arizona

[Click thumbnail images to enlarge]
   

Ft. Wainwright in
winter of 1966

   

Flood of
August 1967

   

Grant Hall

   

Pickett Hall

    

Main Parade
Ground

   

Entrance in
1966

   

Grant Hall housed all four batteries of the
2nd Battalion/15th Field Artillery

Winter maneuvers took place in the
Yukon Command Maneuver Area
   

LTC "Green pen"
Russ Johnson

MEMOIRS
by RUSS JOHNSON
February 2002

The Sam Johnson of the 18th Century was said to have the greatest mind and memory in the English speaking world.  The Russ Johnson of 2002 has both children and grandchildren who insist that I not only forget things but also remember things that didn't happen at all. This should give you a backdrop for my "vivid" memories  of 37 years ago.

Our mission was certainly to develop and maintain the ability to provide artillery support in an arctic environment, but to appreciate that you have to understand the meaning of COLD. Once for 35 days the temperature never went above 40 below, and that's straight thermometer reading; wind chill often off the charts. Think of that in terms of vehicle maintenance; forget the complicated stuff, just try starting your vehicle up. Fortunately, we had on board the most talented maintenance officer I have seen at any level, WO John Gronwald. He viewed the whole thing as a personal challenge and developed and taught techniques that beat the environment.

The 2/15 in Alaska was a fun loving, competent, "team" kind of a group. This was largely because the environment provided a real enemy. If young leaders did not think their actions through, men got frostbite or worse; equipment broke or became non-operational. If lighter moments were not provided, families were exposed to what was called " cabin fever" during the never ending darkness of the winter months. It was an "us against nature" thing that made command at all levels relatively easy.

During 1965-66, a fire broke out close to Fairbanks, and for no particular reason the battalion was called out around 10 PM  to put it out. What started as a seemingly minor mission turned out to be months of fire fighting with the city of Fairbanks in danger. Since we were the first unit on the scene, additional support units from the Army, Air Force, and Bureau of Land Management were satellited onto us. The commanding general and even the governor were visitors to our small command post.

Fire, like everything else in the arctic is different. Fire breaks don't work because the fire can travel under ground in the tundra. We even fired artillery at it. Once B battery was asked by the Air Force to form a human arrow pointing at a particular hot spot so fire retardant could be dropped. The RED retardant missed and landed on the men in the battery. That evening the battery commander, John Dewey, asked if the men with the red fatigues could keep and wear them, and they became their "Red Badge of Courage." Eventually the fire was under control ( rain finally put it out ) and the battalion, by the skill of WO Gronwald returned  to Fort Wainwright with ALL VEHICLES OPERATIONAL.

Murphy Hall
First stop on Post!
   

M108 in YCMA

   

Frozen streams?

   

May 1967
On to Anchorage!

   

Bill Stover and FO
crews -- How does
Florida compare?

   

Thanksgiving Day
Menu

   

CO and staff
in 1965

   

  Dennis DeFrain

  2/15th Alaska - Contact

Telephone
(623) 535-3102

Postal Address
3761 N. 156th Drive
Goodyear, AZ  85338-8576

Electronic mail
dcdefrain@cox.net