COMINGEVENTS!OLDTIMERS LUNCHEON APRIL 27TH, SUNDAY NOON AT FOAST RSVP

NO DPS AWARDSBANQUET THIS YEARSave your gusto for 2016AST 75th Anniversary

CSI FORENSIC SCIENCE CAMP 2014June 2-6 Middle SchoolJune 9-13 High SchoolApplicati ons are onlinealaskatroopermuseum.com

Check our Google virtual tour!Copy and paste this direct link:htt p://goo.gl/uAyQALet us know how you liked it.

23rd ANNUAL L.E. EVENTCHEHALIS hosted by theKorhonen’s

LESSONS LEARNEDBy Commissioner Dick Burton, reti red

I was the detachment Sergeant at the ti me of the earthquake, having been promoted and

transferred in from Dillingham in the fall of 1963. The detachment was housed in our new headquarters, which had been built to our specs by the owners of the property. It was located one block south of the Seward highway and Northern Lights Blvd.

It was the fi rst new stati on I can remember that we ever had built for our needs. It had an all-new radio

room, our own gas pump, a squad room that was actually big enough, with lockers and an evidence room that wasn’t a closet or fi le cabinet. I was just coming off Fort Richardson having just picked up Nati onal Guard Col. Glenn Byington at the end of the Guard’s annual training encampment. I had just started for the gate when the vehicle had what I thought was a fl at ti re, but it just kept on rocking aft er we stopped. It took a few minutes to fi gure out we were having an earthquake. I had my family in the car

Volume 26 No 1 March 2014

2

“At the station the situation was a little bit confusing at the start. First order of business

was trying to fi nd out how bad it was and determine what we needed to do.”

2

so I took them home and Sgt. Harold Sydnam drove up and said “I came to pick you up.”

At the stati on the situati on was a litt le bit confusing at the start. First order of business was trying to fi nd out how bad it was and determine what we needed to do. Volunteers from the Alaska Department of Fish & Game and others showed up out of thin air. We immediately discovered that our radios were off the air and we had no backup power. We couldn’t gas our patrol cars as we had a buried tank and an electric pump.

I remembered a constructi on company site on Airport Road that had a large above ground gravity-feed tank. We ‘opened’ the gate and I stati oned Jim Vaden, who was then a driver’s license clerk at DMV but an aspiring State Trooper, at the pump to run our fi lling stati on. We went to an industrial hardware store and commandeered a generator that would power the enti re stati on, including the radios, gas pump and all the stati on lighti ng -- we were open for business.

Having Col. Byington with me gave us a great communicati on link to the Guard. Damage assessment was slow at fi rst due to a lack of communicati ons between the various agencies. It soon became apparent that one of the hardest hit areas, with potenti ally the most casualti es, was the Turnagain subdivision near the bluff s.

The Guard off ered any manpower needed for guard posts. They were in full uniform and had their issued gear and weapons. We stati oned them on the perimeter of the bluff where the ground failure had occurred and there were several blocks of homes that had dropped what seemed like a mile but was probably more like 20 or 30 feet.

The greatest thing was that volunteers started showing up from everywhere, including experienced search and rescue people and a helicopter from who knows where. They started combing the area and bringing survivors to the road above where the ground had broken and dropped to be transported to medical faciliti es wherever available. I didn’t know it at the ti me but the power was off at the hospital. The military brought a generator there that provided power for a considerable period of ti me. It was much needed since all the power was out and gas lines were broken.

Aft er we got somewhat organized we heard about the ti dal waves along the coast but didn’t have a lot of detail at fi rst. I split the manpower in two, ordered 12-hour shift s and sent half home to see to their families and get some rest because it looked like it was going to be some ti me before we got back to normal. If everyone tried working around the clock it wouldn’t be long before no one was fi t for duty.

LESSONS LEARNED

33

The next day I asked Staff Sergeant Bob Holifi eld if we had heard anything from the Civil Defense people. I thought maybe we should liaison with them. We hadn’t heard from them so I went to their

headquarters, which were located further downtown. When I arrived there it looked like a three-ring circus; there were women with babies, dogs and a lot of acti vity. I asked how we could assist them. The individual I spoke to, Al Dalke, said they were too busy to stop and talk right then as they were trying to get in contact with the Kenai area to fi nd out how bad it was and how they were fi xed for supplies.

I told him if he would step out to my patrol car we could ask Art English, who was in Kenai. His reply was “you mean you have radio contact with them?” I only say this as it demonstrated how really unprepared we were. I called Art for a report on conditi ons and I was never prouder to be a State Trooper. Art gave a rundown on how many days of food, water and medical there were. He and his team had gone to each store and knew how many vans of food and supplies were available, what medical faciliti es were functi oning and the general conditi ons of the area. I got one of the old tabletop VHF/CD radios that we used in those days and took it to the Civil Defense offi ce which put them in communicati on through our repeater system. I assigned Trooper Tommy Roberts to them to handle the radio and assist in any way possible.

We then learned that the crane used for off -loading

cargo vans from the ships at the Port of Anchorage was intact and operable but the large metal hooks used to lift the vans had gone overboard in the quake, leaving the crane unable to functi on. Just the opposite had occurred at Seward, which had lost its crane but sti ll had the hooks.

I decided that the Air Guard would go to Seward and bring the hooks to Anchorage so that waiti ng ships could be unloaded of badly needed material and supplies, especially food and medical. For the fi rst few days, the Anchorage airport was inoperable since the control tower had collapsed and there was damage to runways. On the day of the earthquake, Trooper Mike Murphy, who was stati oned at Seward, had been on patrol on the Seward Highway. He was north of Kenai Lake when the bridge at the south end collapsed from the quake, leaving him 18 miles from Seward with no vehicle. Mike, being the tough Irishman I knew him to be, walked the 18 miles back to his post. It was decided we would take advantage of the Air Guard fl ight to take a replacement patrol car to Mike,

“We could climb out over Anchorage, set the plane

on a course out to sea and we could bail out. Or, we could ride down and

take our chances.”

“you mean you have

radio contact with them?”

LESSONS LEARNED

no vehicle. Mike, being the tough Irishman I knew the quake, leaving him 18 miles from Seward with no vehicle. Mike, being the tough Irishman I knew the quake, leaving him 18 miles from Seward with no vehicle. Mike, being the tough Irishman I knew

when the bridge at the south end collapsed from the quake, leaving him 18 miles from Seward with no vehicle. Mike, being the tough Irishman I knew him to be, walked the 18 miles back to his post. It

on the Seward Highway. He was north of Kenai Lake when the bridge at the south end collapsed from the quake, leaving him 18 miles from Seward with no vehicle. Mike, being the tough Irishman I knew him to be, walked the 18 miles back to his post. It was decided we would take advantage of the Air

On the day of the earthquake, Trooper Mike Murphy, who was stati oned at Seward, had been on patrol on the Seward Highway. He was north of Kenai Lake when the bridge at the south end collapsed from the quake, leaving him 18 miles from Seward with no vehicle. Mike, being the tough Irishman I knew him to be, walked the 18 miles back to his post. It was decided we would take advantage of the Air Guard fl ight to take a replacement patrol car to Mike,

On the day of the earthquake, Trooper Mike Murphy, who was stati oned at Seward, had been on patrol on the Seward Highway. He was north of Kenai Lake when the bridge at the south end collapsed from the quake, leaving him 18 miles from Seward with no vehicle. Mike, being the tough Irishman I knew him to be, walked the 18 miles back to his post. It was decided we would take advantage of the Air Guard fl ight to take a replacement patrol car to Mike,

fi rst few days, the Anchorage airport was inoperable since the control tower had collapsed and there was

On the day of the earthquake, Trooper Mike Murphy, who was stati oned at Seward, had been on patrol on the Seward Highway. He was north of Kenai Lake when the bridge at the south end collapsed from the quake, leaving him 18 miles from Seward with no vehicle. Mike, being the tough Irishman I knew him to be, walked the 18 miles back to his post. It was decided we would take advantage of the Air Guard fl ight to take a replacement patrol car to Mike,

“We could climb out over

and bring the hooks to Anchorage so that waiti ng ships could be unloaded of badly needed material and supplies, especially food and medical. For the fi rst few days, the Anchorage airport was inoperable since the control tower had collapsed and there was

On the day of the earthquake, Trooper Mike Murphy, who was stati oned at Seward, had been on patrol on the Seward Highway. He was north of Kenai Lake when the bridge at the south end collapsed from the quake, leaving him 18 miles from Seward with no vehicle. Mike, being the tough Irishman I knew him to be, walked the 18 miles back to his post. It was decided we would take advantage of the Air Guard fl ight to take a replacement patrol car to Mike,

“We could climb out over Anchorage, set the plane

on a course out to sea

44

get a fi rsthand look at Seward and meet with local authoriti es re: their assessments and needs. So we loaded a patrol car into the C123 and took off on a really nice day, clear with good visibility. I don’t know what possessed me to do it but as we were climbing out over Turnagain Arm I turned the radio on and called out “This is car ####. Can anyone read me?” Wow, people answered back from north and south.

Since it was easy to stand by a window, a positi on with great visibility, I asked the pilot to fl y at low alti tude and follow the highway and railroad as far as he could. That way I was able to give headquarters a visual report with locati ons and degree of damage to share with other agencies, especially the Alaska Railroad and the Department of Highways. I was able to do this for a considerable distance unti l we got into the mountains about halfway down.

Landing in Seward was a thrill since ice chunks the size of Volkswagens were on the runway, as well as a large skiff . We landed safely; Mike was there and we went to the local school, which was being used as shelter and the government center. We toured Seward with local government offi cials and took note of their needs to report back when I returned to Anchorage. In the meanti me the Guard and local workers loaded the cargo hooks into the C123 and we were ready to leave. I didn’t realize how big those hooks were unti l I climbed in the back and took my seat in the canvas sling seat with my back to the wall and found I was facing the largest piece. I had it almost in my lap. I had nothing but admirati on for the loadmaster that got that thing inside the plane, and hoped it was well-anchored for the return fl ight.

Things went smoothly unti l we started to prepare for landing in Anchorage and for some reason the right landing gear did not show a green light indicati ng it to be down and safely locked. The three of us in back together and individually worked on the gear with an iron bar to see if it was just stuck. It looked OK but with the light and with that iron hunk of metal, the pilot said we had two choices……We could climb out over Anchorage, set the plane on a course out to sea and we could bail out. Or, we could ride down and take our chances. He also said we could take a vote and that’s what he would do. Well, all of us decided we could wait unti l another ti me to take up parachuti ng so we elected to ride it down. That was probably the best landing that pilot ever made and the smoothest one I’ve ever had at the Anchorage Airport. Commissioner Underwood was in town by this ti me and was in Captain Mayfi eld’s offi ce when I got back to the stati on and reported to the Captain.When I fi nished my verbal report I ‘jokingly’ said, “If I have to keep doing this kind of thing I’m going to have to get combat pay.” In reply Captain Mayfi eld looked at me and said. “What’s the matt er, son, don’t you like your job” and I said “Yes Sir,” which was met with, “Well you bett er get back to work”.

That’s what I loved about Turk Mayfi eld.

LESSONS LEARNED

“That was probably the best landing that pilot ever

made and the smoothest one I’ve ever had at the Anchorage Airport.”

555

Recently the FOAST offi ce received a request from a lower 48 badge collector asking for the history of Lt Colonel hat badge #2. An investigation into the Lt Colonel position revealed it was established under AST Director Pat Wellington in May of 1976 and fi lled by Harold Sydnam. Sydnam was issued Lt Colonel badge set #1. In April 1979 Sydnam was

promoted to Deputy Commissioner of Public Safety and turned his badges into supply. Jim Vaden was then appointed to the position under AST Director Tom Anderson and received the badge set #1. Vaden was promoted to Deputy Commissioner in early 1983 and purchased the badge set and still has them in his possession. Lowell Parker was promoted to Lt Colonel under AST Director Mike Kolivosky in 1983 and retired in May of 1985 purchasing his badge set which was not numbered. The Lt Colonel position was discontinued at that time. The mystery remains on the history of Lt Colonel hat badge # 2.

THE MYSTERY OF LT. COLONEL BADGE # 2

Editors Note: (From Lessons Learned Story)Dick Burton came to Alaska in 1952 and served on the Ketchikan and Fairbanks Police Departments before joining the Alaska State Police in 1959. He was stati oned in Dillingham, Anchorage, Ketchikan and Juneau. He initi ated the fi rst Governor’s Security plan for Governor Walter Hickel in 1967 and later went on to be Commissioner of Public Safety for Governor Jay Hammond and also for Governor Hickel in his second term. His recent appointment to Alaska’s Police Standard Council will give him 17 years of service on the Council. He lives in Ketchikan and does law enforcement consulti ng.

6

77

8

9

T he great earthquake that struck Southcentral Alaska on March 27, 1964 was a tremendous challenge for the

people of the area and for the Alaska State Police offi cers who met the challenge head-on.

The earthquake, with an unprecedented magnitude of 9.2 on the Richter scale, struck at 5:35 p.m., killing 139 people, opening ground fi ssures, collapsing structures and generating massive tsunamis.

The Western Region of the Alaska State Police, headed by Captain E. L. “Turk” Mayfi eld, did an outstanding job with limited manpower and scarce resources. All personnel in the region performed admirably and several were honored nationally for their superior performance.

In Anchorage, shortly after the ground-shaking subsided, the Director of Civil Defense set up a command post of state and local law enforcement and immediately called for military assistance. Off-duty law enforcement personnel were called to duty, many working 24-hour shifts on an on-going basis.

The U.S. Army immediately dispatched a hundred personnel to assist, shortly afterward mobilizing an additional 250 soldiers. State Police and the military developed an excellent working relationship, organizing town patrols and training programs to provide seamless interagency cooperation.

Staff Sgt. Don Casanovas (father of Alaska State Trooper Major Dennis Casanovas) was the Army’s supervisor of the local Army Town Patrol. Don worked closely with the State Police and was directed by the Army Provost Marshal to report to the police department. He was responsible for coordinating the location of generators and 400-gallon water trailers, with four purifi cation units, to supply 32 locations with water for use by the general public.

Re-establishing and maintaining communications were critical. The Western District depended on a diesel-powered relay system located on Mt. Susitna. It was working fi ne and headquarters was supported by an auxiliary generator moved in quickly to provide power for radio transmission to mobile units in Homer, Soldotna and Kenai as well as units throughout the Anchorage area.

Within minutes after the quake, all available members of the State Police, both uniformed offi cers and civilian employees, were called to duty. By 10 p.m. a round-the-clock schedule was implemented providing the fullest possible coverage to assist law enforcement and Civil Defense agencies throughout the Western Region.

In Anchorage, where many houses had collapsed in the West Turnagain neighborhood, Troopers assisted the Anchorage Police in searching for victims.Sergeant Dick Burton was the Anchorage Shift Supervisor for all three shifts and oversaw teams working in Palmer, Seward and Kenai. Note his fi rst-person account of the earthquake and its aftermath.In Valdez, Trooper Edwin Jones and local community leaders concluded that in the aftermath of the quake the city could expect a tidal wave. They quickly organized an evacuation effort that moved many residents to a point nine miles up the Richardson Highway where the ground was 300 feet above sea level.

When a massive wave rolled in, Valdez lost 32 lives and saw partial or total destruction of 80 percent of the business and private structures. Trooper Jones worked with the Coast Guard and – the following day – with the U.S. Army to bring in water, rations and emergency power. Trooper Bob Cockrell from Glennallen assisted in that effort and guided military convoys to Valdez.

In the Kenai State Police Detachment, Troopers Art English, Wayne Hagerty and Bob Robertson were relaying messages from Anchorage

1964 EARTHQUAKE REVIEWBy Director Tom Anderson, reti red

10

Editor’s Note:Tom Anderson was an Alaska State Trooper from 1961 to 1983. From 1977 to 1983, he served as AST Director and has been active with the Fraternal Order of Alaska State Troopers since its inception. He was awarded FOAST’s Life Time Achievement Award in 2012

1964 EARTHQUAKE REVIEW

Dispatch to various locations in Southeast Alaska and the Lower 48. This was a critical part of the response effort because a number of the Civil Defense locations could not communicate with each other and the relays were essential.

One of the Detachment team’s worries was the strange behavior of the Kenai River, which was fl owing out very fast before high tide, creating concern that a fl ood would occur when the tide turned. The fl ood failed to materialize but the river’s strange behavior made many of the local citizenry nervous.

The town of Seward took a huge hit from the quake. Resident Trooper Mike Murphy had been on patrol on the Seward Highway and was unable to drive back to town because a bridge collapsed at the south end of Kenai Lake, leaving him afoot. Trooper Murphy crossed on foot and began walking the 18 miles back to Seward.

Meanwhile, Seward Police Chief Lloyd Heffner, later an Alaska State Trooper, did a heroic job in coordinating rescue efforts in the battered community. Trooper Murphy arrived in Seward early the next morning with the soles of both shoes worn out and immediately pitched in on the recovery effort. His long walk to Seward was noted in the Congressional Record on May 2, 1964 by U.S. Senator E. L. Bartlett.

Mike Murphy was a naturalized American and decided he wanted to do more for his adopted country. He took a leave of absence from the Alaska State Police and served in a training and advisory capacity to the U.S. Agency for International Development. He was killed in an ambush on May 22, 1968 in Hua Nghia Province, Viet Nam.

Trooper Murphy received the Medal of Valor posthumously from the National Police Offi cers Association of America. In Kodiak, Trooper Don Church received the coveted award for his heroism after the quake.

In 1964, Captain Turk Mayfi eld was not only Commander of the Western Region of the Alaska State Police, he was also state President of the Alaska Peace Offi cers Association. In that capacity, he dedicated the 1964 issue of the Alaska Peace Offi cers Magazine to the good citizens and police offi cers who handled the crisis.

His dedication statement said, in part, “The fact that panic, hysteria and mob action, as well as looting and pillaging, were practically nonexistent during and after the disaster is, in the fi nal analysis, the fi nest reward received by the law enforcement offi cers in Alaska. But more than quick-acting effective law enforcement was involved in the achievement that won the admiration of the nation and the world. It was the respect demonstrated by Alaskans for the uniformed police offi cer, symbol of law and order, and the willingness of the people to assist in every way, that made the joint effort a model for disaster conduct for America’s individual citizens and various police forces.”

On a personal note: where was Trooper Tom Anderson during the earthquake? I was the lone Trooper stationed at Point Barrow. Upon hearing about the earthquake relayed from the Elmendorf Air Force radio station to the local Distant Early Warning Radar Site, I immediately called my boss, Captain John Monagle Sr., asking if he wanted me to go to Anchorage. He said No, stay in Barrow.Then I called my folks in Minnesota and advised them I was OK. In checking around Barrow, the only evidence of the earthquake came from an old Eskimo who told me he’d noticed a new crack in his ice cellar.

11

FOAST ANNUAL ELECTIONS BALLOT 2014!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

FOAST ANNUAL ELECTIONS BALLOT 2014!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

VOTE

Dear members of FOAST,

You are eligible to vote if you are an Acti ve Annual member and are current with your dues for 2014, or a Lifeti me member who is acti ve or reti red. There are 2 reti red positi ons and 1 acti ve positi on to be fi lled. You may write in other names as well.

Nominated for the Reti red positi ons are: -- vote for 2

________Doug Norris – Reti red Major, long ti me FOAST member, committ ee parti cipant, and has held offi ce numerous ti mes. Now serves a Treasurer.

________Lantz Dahlke, Reti red Lieutenant, now doing investi gati ve work, has been in an appointed positi on to fulfi ll a reti red vacancy.

________( write in) .................................................................................................................................................

In the ACTIVE Category -- vote for 1

________Captain Steve Arlow : 28 years with DPS, serving both divisions, skippered 70’ patrol vessel in Southeast Alaska, logged 2000 hours as a bush pilot; has served in Bethel, Seward, Soldotna. Juneau, Ketchikan, Cordova, Bethel and Anchorage. A former USAF Security Police Offi cer, he has raised 3 daughters and resides in Palmer with his wife DeeAnn.

________Brent Johnson, with DPS for 13 years, currently a Sergeant assigned to Palmer AWT; previously posted in Soldotna, Tok, King Salmon, and Anchorage; a state instructor in fi rearms and breath alcohol detecti on, a state pilot and state certi fi ed vessel operator; a lifeti me FOAST member ;AST Competi ti ve Pistol Team captain. He has worked closely with FOAST and the board for many years.

_______ ( write in) ..................................................................................................................................................

Ballots will be counted at our annual meeti ng in April 22. Please email, Fax or mail your votes to us at:

FOAST245 W 5th Ave, Ste 113Anchorage, AK 99501

FAX: 907-279-5054

Email: foast@gci.net

Take this opportunity to update your contact informati on along with this ballot. Those with unpaid annual dues will be dropped from our membership list aft er our annual meeti ng, so please make sure you are up to date.

FRATERNAL ORDER OF

ALASKA STATE TROOPERSP.O. BOX 100280

ANCHORAGE, ALASKA99510-0280

foast@gci.net

Nonprofit Org.US Postage

PAIDAnchorage, AK

Permit #453

The Fraternal Order of the Alaska State Troopers Charity Corporation is recognized by the Internal Revenue Service asa 501 (c)(3) corporation, ID92-0091086

Contacting FOAST Phone: (907) 279-5050 or (800) 770-5050 in Alaska

Fax: (907) 279-5054Email: foast@gci.net

www.alaskatroopermuseum.com

The BannerEditor: Col. Tom Anderson, Retired

P.O. Box 100280Anchorage, Alaska 99510-0280

Phone (907) 440-9614 or(907) 279-5050 • Fax: 279-5054

BOARDLT Bryan BarlowLT Rodney DialLance Dahlke

Invest James GallenInvest Michele Logan

Capt Ron Rice Major Steve Bear

OFFICERSPresident – Capt Hans Brinke

Vice President – Col Tom AndersonTreasurer – Major Doug NorrisSecretary – Capt Barry Wilson

REGIONAL VICE PRESIDENTSSgt. Hal Hume

Charles A. SmithCapt. Andrew Greenstreet

STAFFExecutive Director, Laura Caperton

Nonprofit Org.US Postage

PAIDAnchorage, AK

Permit #537