Among my father's documents and photographs I found papers relating to two reunions of the 567th
Battalion ‐ the 19th and the 40th. Even though they lived in Oregon and the reunions always seemed
to be held on the East Coast, he and my mother were intrepid travelers with their mobile home in tow behind
them. I know that they went to far more than just those two reunions, but I have not found more documents
than these.
The first annual reunion took place in 1949 and at this reunion a formal association, the “567th AAA (AW) Battalion Association”, was formed with the election of officers. The first president was Ralph E. Wade of Battery “A”. The reunions were designed to commemorate the year that the 567th Battalion was formed in 1943. Please refer to the index to the left for the information that I have collected about three of the annual reunions. If you have further information on other annual reunions and would like to see it posted on this website, please email me.
My parents attended the 19th annual reunion which marked 25 years since the battalion's formation. The reunion was held in Roanoke, Virginia in July of 1968. A photograph of the battalion servicemen who attended the reunion is at the bottom of this web page.
The program and memorial for the 35th annual reunion were graciously loaned to me by Anne Cary Gregory whose husband was Jack N. Gregory of Headquarters battery. Jack was a Master Sergeant in his battery. He passed away in 2000.
My parents also attended the 40th annual reunion which was held in July of 1989 in Savannah, Georgia. Here I found a treasure trove of information. Along with the program and memorial, I found copies of the invitations that had been set out, a copy of the Association's bylaws, a battalion roster, a list of servicemen for whom they had insufficient addresses, and the Savannah newspaper from July 15, 1989 that contained two articles written about the reunion of the battalion at Fort Stewart. The newspaper contained several interviews and photographs. I also came across the “Red Jackass” bumper sticker that was adopted as the battalion's trademark in June of 1945. The following paragraph has been taken from the second edition of the battalion's newspaper “The Muzzleburst”. It explains the origins of the trademark.
“The condition which this symbol represents, a condition of extreme vexation due to snafu, three march orders in
one night, a flat on an inside dual, or the gal friend's indiscretions with a 4F, has long been with us in varying degrees
of intensity from activation to the occupation.”
Servicemen Attending the 19th Annual Reunion of the 567th Battalion (1968)
Roanoke, Virginia