An interesting find occurred at the Sheldon cemetery recently. The following narrative explains it. There are other stories in the cemetery, too, and in the future we plan to share some of them..
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An Alaskan Gold Prospector Was Buried in Sheldon
Every year before Memorial Day, we make an effort to visit the cemeteries where friends and relatives have been buried. In Sheldon we took time to wander about and look at the inscriptions on some of the tombstones. Mary found one that caught her eye and called me over to look at a modest, flat stone honoring a World War II veteran. It bore this inscription: Willis J. Cruden, North Dakota, Intelligence Platoon Alaskan Scouts, World War II, Feb 15, 1906, May 12, 1943.
The mention of Alaskan Scout interested us in the history of the man, and upon returning home she looked for information in census reports, Ancestry.com, and Chronicling America. Given the clue of Alaska, she found a 1940 census report showing him being a prospector for gold around Talkeetna, Alaska, in the possession of “0” dollars. She also found a brief mention in the Fargo Forum of July 18, 1943, that he had been posthumously awarded the Purple Heart after being killed in action.
That’s all we knew about him to this point, but there had to be more, besides living in Alaska and not being a successful prospector for gold. Who were the Alaskan Scouts? What were the circumstances to Cruden’s receiving the Purple Heart? Why was he buried in the Sheldon cemetery? A compelling story began developing with further research.
On June 6, 1942, the Japanese army had invaded two of the Aleutian Islands, namely Kiska and Attu, part of the archipelago extending from Alaska proper because the Japanese command wanted to control the northern sea routes. They needed to be countered and driven off United States soil. The first step taken was made by Colonel Lawrence Castner whose orders were to form the 1st Alaskan Combat Intelligence Platoon. He handpicked 65 rugged outdoorsmen from the collection of trappers, miners, hunting guides, dog sledders, fishermen, prospectors, loggers, and indigenous natives. When he finished selecting them, he said they all had one thing in common, “They’re tough.” Cruden had been picked to become one of “Castner’s Cutthroats.”
Little effort was made for uniformity: they wore their own clothing, chose their own weapons, and possessed a variety of nicknames. A few of them could be found such as Aleut Pete and Waterbucket Ben. Yes, Willis Cruden had one, too, Bad Whiskey Red.
The story led to the morning of May 11, 1943, when a boatload of Scouts reconnoitered a beach as a landing spot for the U. S. attacking force. A small group of them rowed their way through the fog and wind with Cruden holding a compass and accurately navigating the boat onto the landing beach. They spent the frigid night with no provisions or shelter. When the fog lifted the next morning, Japanese snipers surprised them from high ground, targeted Cruden, and shot him dead through his heart, May 12.
Mary found the document which Cruden’s mother, Frances, filled out to apply for his Military Veteran headstone. Since Cruden was an unfamiliar name to me I wanted to know about her connection to Sheldon. Why did she choose his final place of rest in Sheldon. This was her home area. Her maiden name was McCusker, born and raised in Shenford Township, south of Sheldon. She lies beside her son in the cemetery. She might never have known about his military exploits. More might be added someday since there are a lot of stories regarding the extraordinary Alaskan Scouts. They represented a singular part of the large effort made by all the military forces in World War II.
A postscript adds another Sheldonite who served in Alaska during World War II - Tom McGrath served in the Aleutian Islands, too, but not as a “Scout.”
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