Douglas Alexander: “I recently received an invitation to an annual reunion of Tennessee veterans who served together in the 236th Combat…”

“I recently received an invitation to an annual reunion of Tennessee veterans who served together in the 236th Combat Engineers Battalion in Burma, India and China during World War II. Veterans of the 236th have been getting together every year for nearly 50 years, and the story of the reunions of the 236th is almost as interesting as those of the action they saw in northern Burma fighting the Japanese. What began as a picnic at Memphis City Park in 1956 has evolved into an annual reunion of surviving members of the 236th, and their families, on the second Sunday in July in Nashville. Veterans from the 236th, who spent one of the most significant periods in history together, now sit around and reminisce about the experience that made them men, rekindle old friendships, and honor the memories of their fallen comrades. Meanwhile, their families swim, shop, and attend events together. In recent years however, only a handful of veterans of the 236th are still able to attend, so the group has elected their children to take over responsibility for holding the reunions, even after the last member of the 236th has passed on.”