Pfc. William "Parky" Pakaluk

Pfc. William "Parkey" Pakaluk lost his life serving with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, 341st Engineers Regiment, on May 14, 1942 while assigned to the construction of the Alaska Highway. On that day, at Charlie Lake, British Columbia, a pontoon barge carrying 17 soldiers and equipment needed for construction, sank taking the lives of Mr. Pakaluk and 11 other soldiers. Despite this tragedy, the Alaska Highway has been cited as one of the top 10 construction achievements of the 20th century.

Roger Gregoire, president of the Northern Trails Historical Society, felt it important to honor the deaths of the 12 U.S. World War II soldiers who perished. Members of the society invested much time and effort to locate archived documents in order to verify the facts of the historic incident and will erect a monument, constructed of concrete and rock, that will feature laser-etched display panels including the factual account, the identity of the soldiers involved and recognition of the sacrifice of their lives to the war effort. It will also feature a map pinpointing the location of the accident.

The City of Fort St. John, B.C., along with Canadian and American dignitaries, former soldiers and families of the soldiers lost, will officially dedicate the monument in memory of these men at the shores of Charlie Lake on May 21, 2008.

Construction of the Alaska Highway, formerly known as the Alcan (Alaska-Canadian) Highway, began March 8, 1942. The highway winds its way through wilderness connecting Dawson Creek, British Columbia and Fairbanks, Alaska. More than 11,000 American troops, including seven regiments of engineers, 16,000 civilian workmen from Canada and the United States and 7,000 pieces of equipment, were thrown into the overwhelming task of penetrating the 1,500 miles of mountains, muskeg and mosquitoes. Amazingly, the highway was completed only eight short months later, on Oct. 25, 1942. For the soldiers and workers it was a difficult life. Fatigue, hypothermia and accidents were a part of everyday life as the workers set down eight miles of road a day, seven days a week.

Mr. Pakaluk was a Hicksville resident who attended Hicksville schools. He married his high school sweetheart, Jen Zalewski, in Manhattan, KA, just three short weeks before his fatal accident.