The Secret War of the North Pacific

8: The Call

All the soldiers were scattered now- the largest group was a four person party, when horses started coming out with Commanders on them, they began regrouping and coming back to secured forts. Here are some accounts of what happened:

This is from a twenty-one year old Soviet soldier:

There was on other guy with me, I think he was about three years older than me, and we had just lost for other guys to Canadians. We walked what we thought  was the direction of Fairbanks, but after twenty minutes, when we should have been there, we were at a creak. We yelled for help, yelling upward to get the noise over the trees. Then, we heard a crack. Our eyes widened, thinking it was a bear, or at least an angry deer. Then General Narkik Kuveden came out, with about three privates like us on his horse, and about six other horses with the same ordeal. He called us on. we got on, nervously, after hearing the news of the panic, caused by him, that got us here. We rode through the forest, in the direction of Fort Kerart.

This is from a Sergeant on Canada's side:

I was on my own, giving the order to the Soldiers under my command to return to Carmen Hall and alert the authorities. I was looking out for another ambush, wondering if this was just a hoax to cut us off guard for an ambush. I saw nothing, but I went closer to the Russian area nearby, seeing if they were giving commands and holding off until the thought of an ambush came out of our minds. Then a white horse came by, with General Thomas White on it. I always admired the fact that he started in the army as a drummer boy at age thirteen, and was now General at age twenty-three. Anyway, he offered me a hand to get on. I did, and he turned around, to see a line of white soldiers with other Sergeants on them, and we headed towards Fort Joybeam.

This was from a Canadian Admiral and a Russian Second Sergeant in a later interview, recorded for a newspaper.

Reporter: "So, how would you describe what it's like out there?"

Henry Poe: "Well, me and Mark here were in different parties originally, then we saw each, and we just got together. I don't know if he was scared-"

Mark Bomarrov:" I was."

H: "Oh, well, we had a glance in our eyes and walked alongside each other, and we just went towards Fairbanks."

M: "I heard a trot, I nudged Henry here, and pointed, and I saw commander, um,"

H: "Gary. I forgot his last name."

M: "Oh."

H: "We got on, we got to Fort Joybeam, and Commander asked if Mark would convert to Canadianism, which he did."

M: "And that's the end of our part of the story before we completely transition into another subject."