What do I wear to stay warm in Alaska?

I was assigned to Elmendorf and lived in AK for four years. My son has lived there for over 20 years. People who are assigned to AK and go there with a positive attitude usually like it. Like me, they may consider it the best assignment of their lives. You appear to be new to the Army, so I'll keep my advice oriented to junior enlisted with minimum income.

The Army will issue you Arctic gear. It should provide you all the clothing and equipment you'll need to work in a cold environment. Your job as a fuels specialist requires you to handle one of the most valuable materials in the Arctic, diesel fuel with cold weather additives. (Without the additives, diesel can become like jello overnight.) Pay close attention to instructions from your NCOs. They want you to work safely in a cold environment. You should be afforded warming breaks after working in the cold (there's actually a chart for this). Dress in layers. Sweat is the enemy of warm. When you have physical work to do, shed a layer or two to prevent sweating. I remember fuels Airmen wearing just an insulated underwear shirt and work uniform pants while hauling a fuel hose from the truck to connect with single-point refueling receptacle on a C-130.

You probably will be authorized to wear some of your issued Arctic clothing with civilian clothing, such as a parka. Again, the Army wants you safe and warm. Normal civilian clothing is casual. Jeans and flannel shirt/blouse are standard wardrobe for almost everybody at all occasions. Have an extra pair of sox and gloves with you when you'll be out for more than 30 minutes.

Take full advantage of your time off. Learn to ski. Go to an amateur hockey game. Hike and fish in the summer. Spring starts with "breakup" sometime in May in the Anchorage area and lasts until the "termination dust" (light snow) shows up in the post parade ground or your yard.

I wish you the best of luck! Let me know how it goes.

Are we talking uniform or civilian attire, or both? ECWS (version whatever they're currently on now) is pretty good stuff ( I finally replaced all my GoreTex!)... which is why a lot of us on the "outside" spend hours scouring eBay for it LOL! The trick to cold weather is layering... you need the ability to efficiently trap body heat, and remove/add layers depending on activity level, ambient temp, etc. A good, breathable base layer is a must... your outer layers should be designed to keep moisture out/heat in. Merino Wool socks are a good investment, as is GoreTex. A lot of folks overlook good gloves and boots. Depending on what you are issued, you might want a pair of aviator gloves to either wear as a liner, or for more "fine tuning" work you might encounter when your outer gloves are too bulky. Remember that you lose body heat quickly through the head... and make sure you're protecting exposed skin from the wind as well as the cold. Just personal preference, but I always liked wearing stuff that was a little less bulky, as opposed to dressing like an Eskimo. You pay a price though for not having sufficient "air space" to warm inside layers. It's all a balancing act between function and comfort.

A polar bear.