In Alaska, in summer, fish'n IS the mission. Not much gets done until the snow flys.
However - the Army is not completely clueless http://www.wainwright.army.mil/sites/deploy/default.asp
The 1/25 has some very sharp medics
They have experienced (Combat experienced) NCOs and that makes a difference
As the 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, the Arctic Wolves lost 36 of their own in Iraq. Those lessons are not forgotten. The 1/25 served 16 months in Mosul Iraq - and that experience should serve them (and your son) well as they deploy.
We went thru the same thing (our son is a Marine) on both of jrs tours in Iraq.
Best advice I can give you - pray. Ask your firends to pray and if you belong to a church, get them in on the action. Don't try to go it alone - you will drive yourself nuts.
At some point, you will get an address for mail. FWIW - Don't send anything that won't fit into a shoebox, otherwise it will take forever to get to him - they have access to the PX, so he would be without.
Good luck, FR is a good place to ask questions - several FReepers (in country at the time) were able to keep us clued in, even if the Marines did not.
(Slaps forehead)