If the 10 children of Leonard and Anna Larkins ever complained about chilly weather in Louisiana, their father would tell them, "You don't know cold weather."

Leonard's formal education ended at 10. As a teenager, he could cut a ton of sugar cane in about six hours as a field worker on the Star Plantation, but he didn't learn about cold by wielding a knife.

No, it was shortly after the attack on Pearl Harbor when the Army sent him north with the 93rd Engineers, one of the all-black regiments that helped build the pioneer version of the Alaska Highway in a hurry.

The Army didn't tell the men in advance where they were going or why.

"I didn't know what I was going to do for a long time," he said.

Once reaching the Yukon, the former cane cutter became an expert pick-and-shovel man. He also cut brush and trees and helped build a road that changed the course of Alaska development, especially after hostilities ended.

Leonard and his fellow soldiers lived in tents and battled winter cold and summer mosquitoes. He said the first time he saw the aurora, he thought something had gone wrong in the heavens.

The Army paid better than the plantation and he saved up enough money for a down payment on a house.

This week, for the first time since the war ended, Leonard is back in Alaska, accompanied by three of his sons — who live in Louisiana, where it doesn't get cold.

Leonard and his sons are here for appearances in Fairbanks, Delta and Anchorage in connection with the 75th anniversary of the highway. About 10,000 soldiers worked on the highway and about one-third of them were African-Americans who served in segregated units.

Under a new measure, the state has declared Oct. 25 as "African American Soldiers' Contribution to Building the Alaska Highway Day."

Leonard never talked much about Alaska and World War II with his kids, mainly because it was such hard work that he wanted to put it all behind him. They are learning some new things about their dad's wartime experiences on this trip.

He worked on the road for about eight months, and then served in the Aleutians. Cutting cane was difficult, he said, but the more you worked, the more money you earned — everyone knew what to expect.

The Army was a little harder "because you had to do exactly what they tell you to do."

Leonard spent most of his working life after the war in hospital nutrition. I asked him why he has lived so long and remains in good shape. His answer? "Garlic," he said. His children may believe him about cold, but I sensed some skepticism about steady garlic consumption.

Errol, 66, is retired from Shell Oil Co., while Bert, 59, works for the Department of Veterans Affairs and Kirby, 63, is a retired New Orleans firefighter. They are all big men, taller and heftier than their 96-year-old dad, a former boxer who would still qualify as a lightweight in the ring.

Leonard walks with a cane but stands straight and can still play a friendly game of volleyball, his sons said. They said he was competitive with them in boxing, arm wrestling, running and other sports until he reached the age that they are about now.

Years before, when Kirby set a high school record in the high hurdles, he raced against his dad and lost.

"Let's race again," he said. Same finish.

"Coming up, my mom and my dad really made us feel that we were all important," said Kirby. "Even though there were a lot of kids in the house, I thought I was the favorite one. I'm sure he (pointing to Errol) thought he was the favorite one. And he (pointing to Bert) thought he was the favorite one."

The family didn't have much money and they lived in a two-bedroom house but "we all felt cared for and loved," Kirby said.

Listening to this, Leonard nodded and said of his children: "I'm proud of all of my kids. They helped me a lot, just like I helped them. I appreciate it."

Columnist Dermot Cole can be reached at dermot@alaskadispatch.com.