After the Eskimo patrols returned from a week in the field, the California
Reservists conducted Fire Safety training for the 2nd Eskimo Scout
Battalion. At the time, Alaska had the highest death rate due to fire than
any of the "lower 48" states. Electricity had only been provided to the
isolated Eskimo villages just 10 years before. So in a wise evaluation by
the Army, the California Reservists taught training sessions in how to
fight electrical fires and how to use chemical fire extinguishers. This
task was one I came to be proud of, as I considered that that effort may
have eventually saved Eskimo lives!
