On June 14, 1942, near the start of the Aleutian campaign, U.S. soldiers gave Native residents of St. Paul Island one hour to pack and board the Army transport ship Delarof, which carried them to overcrowded, unsanitary camps in Southeast Alaska. People from St. Paul and all over the Aleutians lived in the camps for the next two years. About one in ten died, mostly children and the elderly.
The order to leave interrupted a baseball game. So, more than 80 years later, the community commemorates that day with a game of softball. And this year, for the second time, they also held a game in Anchorage for people from St. Paul who aren’t living on the island.
“It means a lot to us,” said Dimitri Zacharof, one of the game’s organizers. “[To] commemorate our people that were relocated in 1942 — it means a lot to us to be able to host this event that’s sponsored by the Aleut Community of St Paul. Bringing people together. It’s great. It’s great fun.”
Zacharof’s wife, Olga Zacharof, is the other organizer. She said the game is a way to honor the history…