JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — For nearly 70 years, the Alaska National Guard has worked with partner agencies to spread holiday cheer to rural Alaskan communities through Operation Santa.
For the first time in recent memory, Op Santa came to Anchorage to serve Western Alaska families displaced by Typhoon Halong.
The Alaska Native Heritage Center hosted the community event with additional support from the Association of Village Council Presidents, Calista Corporation, Federal Emergency Management Agency, Fireweed Foundation, Premier Alaska Tours, Salvation Army, Sobermiut, and the State of Alaska Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management.
Jenni Ragland, Salvation Army Alaska Division, said her organization has been part of Op Santa for 55 years. She explained that air transport to remote villages has been a staple of the community outreach effort until this year.
“Typically, we take Op Santa on the road, and we go visit people in their community,” Ragland said. “This time, it was an opportunity to welcome them as neighbors here in Anchorage.”
Ragland said after Alaska National Guard leadership decided Op Santa would best serve displaced Alaskans in Anchorage this year, the Guard and partners quickly moved to support the event.
“We had a list of what we thought we might need, and we had more than 50 volunteers who showed up,” Ragland said. “We got every present wrapped, and all of the stocking stuffer bags packed, and everything ready to bring here today.”
In his opening remarks, Maj. Gen. Torrence Saxe, adjutant general of the Alaska National Guard, acknowledged the hardship families endured during and after the storm, many of whom had to leave homes damaged by severe winds and storm surge. He encouraged them to enjoy time with community members and family during the event.
“For the folks who have lost their homes, who have been displaced, this day is for you,” Saxe said. “I am grateful for what Alaska does provide. I am grateful for the sense of community. I really am. But the bigger point today is I want you to have a chance to relax, have a chance to connect, to relax and to have some fun as well.”
Saxe shared a poignant story from his visit to storm-ravaged Kwigillingok, illustrating the level of community need in the villages hardest hit by the typhoon.
“So, most of the village had been evacuated down to about 20 or 30 people,” Saxe said. “And there was a father with two little girls … about 4 years old, one was about 3. I walked up to the top of the stairs, and the father said, ‘Go, shake the general’s hand.’ So, this little hand came up, and of course I put my hand out to shake hers as well. And she looked straight up at me, and she said, ‘Mister, mister,’ as she tugged on my sleeve, ‘Will you please fix my house?’ As a father myself, that really touched me. I say all this to say we want to be here for you and acknowledge everything you’ve been through.”
Alaska Air National Guard Capt. Laurel Foster, 176th Force Support Squadron, is from Bethel, a hub community for Western Alaska. She said she raised her hand to be a part of the whole-of-government response, which included the Alaska Organized Militia.
“I volunteered because I was born in the Bethel area, so I’m from that region, so being able to be out there and help my people the best way I’m able to was important to me,” Foster said. “After being a part of the typhoon response, of being here today, and being able to see the community come together, to celebrate, to spend time with each other, to value relationships, it’s very meaningful to me just to bring part of a normal holiday, or as best as you can, to normalize the holiday after being displaced, I think that means a lot to everyone here today.”
Foster underlined the importance of Op Santa to the communities and to the Guard.
“It’s important for the Guard to put on events such as Operation Santa Claus because it gives the opportunity for Guard members to see Rural Alaska, and I think a lot of our Guard members have not had the opportunity to see Alaska outside of Anchorage and Fairbanks,” Foster said. “So, going to Alaska and seeing how the rural communities live, I think it’s important for our Guard members to understand that. That way, when something like Typhoon Halong happens, we’re able to respond in a way that is culturally appropriate.”
Kelsey Ciugun Wallace, president and CEO of the Alaska Native Heritage Center, said she was happy for her organization to serve as the venue and host for Op Santa.
“The Alaska Native Heritage Center's mission is to preserve and strengthen the traditions, languages and arts of Alaska's native peoples, and so it's very much a natural response for us as the Heritage Center to organize community events, to ensure that our relatives, the evacuees, have wraparound community and cultural care,” Wallace said. “One of the best ways to do that during the holidays is to partner with organizations like the National Guard, Calista Corporation, Fireweed Foundation, and many others, to be able to welcome our relatives who are here in Anchorage to be in space and community with one another.”
Ragland said that, as she relishes seeing children meet Santa and receive gifts, she is equally thankful to meet and speak with village elders during the event.
“There are no age barriers and to just see the smiles on their faces just really makes the whole day worthwhile,” Ragland said.