The last three members of the Alaska Scouts, infamously knowing as Castner's Cutthroats, reunited Sept. 28 for the first time the scouts in 63 years.

The last three remaining scouts shared their unique Alaska war experience with an audience at the exhibit's opening.

Retired Brig. Gen. Earl Acuff, 91, Sgt. Ed Walker, 90, and T-5 William “Billy” Buck, 89, received long-overdue honorable service medals that thanked them and welcomed them home.

Fellow scout Buck Delkette was awarded posthumously. He shared his stories with the veterans museum and helped inspire the veterans' exhibit, said Suellyn Novak, president of the Alaska Veterans Museum.

“We want to thank you and a hearty welcome home,” Novak said.

The scouts fought in the Aleutian Campaign from 1941 to 1943, defending the islands from Japanese occupation during World War II. The scouts gathered intelligence to help the United States eject enemy forces out of Alaska.

“It's a story that few people know. They are truly are forgotten warriors.” Novak said. “That's true of many of them in the Aleutian Campaign, but especially true for these guys. It was combat intelligence, therefore all of that was secret.”

In 1943, after the Aleutian Campaign, the scouts returned to Fort Richardson and set out on surveying assignments along the northern edge of Alaska. The scouts disbanded in 1946. The men went their separate ways.

The exhibit will be on display until September 2009.

This article published in The Alaska Star on Wednesday, December 31, 2008.