The Alaska Veterans Memorial in Denali State Park

Tucked away in Denali State Park, you'll find the Alaska Veterans Memorial - a tribute to the bravery of Alaska's military service members. This site honors Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Alaska National Guard, and Merchant Marine veterans from Alaska, as well as specific Alaskans who were awarded the Medal of Honor. What sets this place apart are the small memorials to the passengers and crew of military plane crashes in Alaska. These memorials stand as silent tributes to the tragic incidents that played out across the Alaskan landscape.

This spot was chosen for its scenic beauty and its location between Alaska's two largest cities. On a clear day, you can catch a glimpse of Denali from just outside the memorial. The main memorial alcove was constructed in 1983 and consists of five 20-foot (6.1 m) upright concrete slabs. Each slab has a large star cut through the upper section and a description of a branch of the Armed Forces history in Alaska inscribed on the lower section. An inscription at the entrance acknowledges the sacrifices of the Alaska National Guard and the volunteer heroes of the Alaska Territorial Guard, who filled in for the National Guard when it was mobilized during World War Two.

A sculpture at the front of the alcove features two members of the Territorial Guard watching for threats with binoculars. Two military plane crashes in Alaska are also memorialized outside of the alcove. These include a C-47 that crashed into a mountain in February 1954, killing 10 of the 16 aboard, and a TB-29 Superfortress that strayed off course in bad weather and crashed in the Talkeetna Mountains in November 1957, killing 6 of the 10 crew aboard at the time. One of the survivors of the TB-29 crash was awarded the Soldiers Medal for his lifesaving actions while the survivors awaited rescue.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons