Every summer, Cynthia Berns charters a thirty-minute flight to her childhood home, a hidden place only to be reached by plane or boat. On a sunny summer morning, she strolls along the fishing piers towards her father’s boat. The wharf is surrounded by the same mountains and the same sea anchored in the memories of his family. For the past 10,000 years her family has worked these lands and today she sees the faces of the fishermen she has known all her life mending nets and working on their boats, preparing for the next socket. However, each summer there are fewer skiffs left, familiar faces grow older and the hands of seasoned anglers find a little relief with many of their children away from home. Several hours earlier, Cynthia met with an Army Reserve public affairs officer and gave the officer’s team a tour of community projects at 9th Mission Support Command Soldiers volunteered for help in their spare time. She greeted the team with hospitality and invited them with insight into her culture and tribe. Cynthia shared the importance of the village’s peach culture, the local revival of traditional dance, and the expanding community-run farm. The fruit of these projects is the younger generation actively engaged in improving and sustaining their village, taking the wisdom and guidance of elders, to build a viable future for its people.

The vision that his home will be the home of his children and his children’s children demands a future in which descendants will not have to choose between culture and assimilation. It’s this vision that drives Cynthia to find ways to build her community’s economy while protecting her culture of age-old traditions.

Nestled in the foothills of the mountains on southeast Kodiak Island, Alaska is a rural village of Alutiiq located inland from the Sitkalidak Sound. The beauty of this quaint fishing town and its inspiring story of resilience can be felt by any outsider lucky enough to listen with their heart as they experience something so special yet indescribable emanating from the locals and their land. The Alutiiq people of Old Harbor have inhabited their village for approximately 10,000 years, relying heavily on subsistence and commercial fishing. From their generosity through food, hospitality, culture and military service, the people of Old Harbor envision a future in which cultural survival and sustainability converge, bringing hope that younger generations will return to their home. ancestral.

“There has been a major rural exodus in recent years,” said Cynthia Berns. “We are really trying to reverse this trend by building the infrastructure so that we can rely on our fishing industry and the sport fishing industry to develop our economy, and to ensure that young families return home. where they can be close to their cultural roots and subsistence lifestyle.

Cynthia Berns, Vice President of Community and External Affairs for Old Harbor Native Corporation, represents the interests of OHNC, the Town of Old Harbor and its tribe regarding the construction of the new road as part of the Innovative Readiness Project Training Old Harbor Hydroelectric Road. Among Old Harbor’s actions towards a cleaner, more economically and culturally secure future for its residents was the decision to apply for the IRT program. IRT is a Department of Defense program that pairs American communities with military units to collaborate on a project that benefits the community. The idea is that unit capabilities, including manpower and equipment, match the services demanded by a community. In turn, units receive deployment readiness training while partner communities receive the support services they need to thrive.

Since 2021, U.S. Army Reserve units from the 9th Mission Support Command, the most geographically dispersed reserve command in the Indo-Pacific region, have supported the IRT Old Harbor Road project to construct a new access road to Old Harbor. Under the 411th Engineer Battalion, the 297th, 797th, and 871st Engineer Companies were collectively associated with Old Harbour. The 297th CE, an Alaska-based unit, remained in the state while the 797th and 871st Engineer Companies and the 411th Engineer Battalion Forward Support Company traveled from Guam, Hawaii and American Samoa to carry out the project. The leaders of these units work with OHNC, the Town of Old Harbor and the Alutiiq Tribal Council of Old Harbor throughout the planning and execution phases of the project.

“This will bring down the overall cost of the project and help us save money here with the financing needed to build the hydropower. [hydroelectric powerhouse]”, Berns said. “This will reduce the overall cost of electricity for our community members and really help the sustainability of our village.”

Once fully developed, the road will connect the village to the proposed hydroelectric plant and proposed hatchery which will be located further into the Alaskan wilderness away from the coast. While the hydroelectric plant will provide long-term economic benefits by reducing energy costs for residents, it will also power the hatchery and expand local employment opportunities. Access to these facilities will perpetuate local small-scale fishing and enable economic growth within the village. Additionally, the fish hatchery will provide a space for younger generations to learn and connect with their Alutiiq traditions by processing and preparing seafood through cultural practices.

The impact that Army Reserve soldiers have on the community by being part of the IRT Old Harbor Road project cannot be underestimated. Every day, the three engineering companies work hard to provide essential construction services and vehicle maintenance. Soldiers work on site in clear, sunny weather, as well as when rain and cold arctic winds blow on their skin. While exposure to the arctic climate is one of the major adjustments faced by soldiers on the ground, limited connectivity with virtually no phone service and limited resources are additional obstacles often encountered in the remote environment of Old Harbor. .

Despite many obstacles, the companies braved these challenges to support the project. Soldiers operate in an austere environment in the Arctic, leaving their civilian lives and loved ones behind for months to complete their mission and positively impact the future of Old Harbour. The soldiers’ efforts culminate in the completion of a 7,500-foot road, which is expected to be complete by August 4, 2022. Yet, despite their extensive travel to the construction site, the soldiers undertake other ways to serve the community. The renown of their presence in Old Harbor is demonstrated not only by their professionalism, but also by their continued demonstration of selfless service to local residents.

Tribal Chief Loyd Ashouwak of the Alutiiq Tribal Council of Old Harbor and Annie May Lewis, the Tribal Administrator, recounted how soldiers helped coordinate a July 4th celebration for the village. “It’s been a positive experience seeing them help out every time,” Lewis said. “We had to transport all the material from the warehouse to the front of the building and put everything together.” In addition to setting up festivities, Chief Ashouwak said soldiers helped run food and game stalls throughout the celebration.

“Since they started the project, they have been helping,” Chief Ashouwak said. “I’m starting to work on the boon truck that’s broken down on the unloading dock. I saw a few people from the army searching and working on it. While they are in the village, whatever needs to be done and if they have time to help out, that’s great. It’s awesome.

The success of the IRT Old Harbor Road project is more than just a road, it is the service of soldiers from the 297th, 797th and 871st Engineering Companies and 411th EN FSC who had woven something bigger than themselves- same. The soldiers’ service helps pave the way for the economic and cultural sustenance of the village for generations to come. More importantly, the project is not just about building a new road. At its heart, the road not only symbolizes a self-sufficient future for Old Harbour, but also the enduring bonds formed between soldiers and residents as they worked together to make such a future possible.

When Pvt. Deshaunn Olloway, a wheeled vehicle mechanic assigned to the 871st EC, originally from Alaska, was asked about his experience as a member of the IRT Old Harbor mission, his eyes looked west towards the mountains and said, “It was amazing.” “I learned a lot and I feel like I’m doing my part, you know, with the people here. That’s part of the reason I joined the military so I could help people. That’s really nice.”

Cynthia jumped into her truck and drove back to the office, a small two-story building she currently shares with soldiers who run the road project, after showing the public affairs team around the village. The soldiers enter and leave the building. She recognizes on the site the faces of those who have helped the villagers, people she has known all her life. Cynthia hears a now familiar sound of dump trucks driving towards the project area from the main road, and a deep sense of pride swells in her chest as she sees the work of the soldiers and the community making the very future a reality. she hopes for her people. .