56th Annual Reunion
The 56th Annual Reunion of the 761st Tank Battalion and Allied Veterans Association was held in Washington D.C.from Thursday, August 26th, to Sunday, August 29th, 2004, at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Old Town Alexandria, with the annual banquet dinner being held on August 28, 2004 at 7:00 PM.
Pictured here, attending the Reunion, are (standing, left to right) James B. Jones, Rufus D. Taylor, Col. Aaron M. Dotson, USA (Ret.), Baron K. Bates, Roscoe Strozier, James C. Austin, James Young, Robert Cooper, Ivan H. Harrison, Jr., Ray L. Lottier, Maj. Gen. John R. Hawkins III, (2nd row) Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kenneth C. Tait, Gloucester Stephens, Charles Womble, William H. McBurney, Wayne Robinson, (front row) Eddie Walker, Preston McNeil, Floyd Dade, Sgt. Lymon Alexander, USA (Ret.), Mark Henderson, USA (ret.), and Leonard Smith (photo courtesy of Mark Olliver.)
The 761st Tank Battalion and Allied Veterans Association celebrates and preserves the tremendous contributions African American soldiers played in securing our nation’s liberty, including awarding scholarships to deserving high school graduates, establishing a national monument at Fort Hood, Texas, and getting these untold chapters into America's history books.
Reunion Events included a group visit to the World War II Memorial on the National Mall (more below) and Arlington National Cemetery, and a memorial service at Fort Myer.
Photos from the 2004 Reunion are available in the Gallery (thanks to Floyd Dade and his daughter Shelli Hill.) Click here to see the photos (please feel free to add comments to these Gallery pictures.) A news story about the 56th Annual Reunion from Washington, DC, TV station WUSA is available on their website, with a video that can be played there.
Click here to see the news strory with the video. Part of their news report says, "Fifty-six years ago the men in this battalion were shaking up the European battlefields in World War II; America's army had never before seen a battalion of tanks run by African Americans." Another news story about the reunion is available from dcmilitary.com ("The men of the 761st Tank Battalion held a memorial service and dinner Friday night at Fort Myer's Spates Hall. The World War II unit recalled old comrades who had passed away and the enemies they faced....")
America Celebrates the Greatest Generation
Before and during the Association's 56th Annual Reunion, Washington, D.C., celebrated an array of more than 60 World War II themed exhibitions, performances and tours. Running from Memorial Day to Labor Day 2004, the 100-day celebration invited visitors to see the new World War II Memorial (the first national memorial dedicated to all who served during World War II) in the nation’s capital and honor the contributions of the World War II generation. The celebration began with the American Battle Monuments Commission's official dedication events from May 27-30. Scheduled official events included the Dedication Ceremony on Saturday, May 29, a four-day National World War II Reunion on the National Mall, produced in conjunction with the Smithsonian Institution’s Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, and an entertainment salute to World War II Veterans.
