Alaska Army National Guard ‘First Scouts’ awarded state’s highest heroism medal for 1955 rescue
Sherry Apatiki looks at the Alaska Heroism Medal she accepted on behalf of Sgt. Ralph Apatiki Sr. during the March 28, 2023, ceremony in Gambell, Alaska. Apatiki Sr. was a member of the Alaska National Guard First Scout Battalion that mounted a rescue mission of 11 sailors after their U.S. Navy P2V-5 Neptune plane was shot down on June 22, 1955, by two Russian MiG-15s.