USA. Alaska. South Central Alaska. Whittier. Tame reindeer and a totem pole in this very small town which can only be reached through a road and rail tunnel or by air. World War II and the Japanese invasion of the Aleutian Islands prompted the US military to look for a second warm water port in this part of Alaska, one that would serve as a secret port. Whittier was chosen because it is hidden in a ring of mountains over which consistently bad weather hangs.