 Today marks the 76th anniversary of the fall of Baton. 64 Brainerd National Guardsmen were sent to the Philippines and only 32 survived to return back home. Our A.J. Feldman was there at the Brainerd Armory as family members remembered those who fought. Family members of the 194th Tank Battalion gathered today to honor those who fought and those who paid the ultimate sacrifice during the infamous Baton Death March. I can remember when they first had this event way back in the 40s when they all came back and they vowed that they would never forget and certainly Brainerd has never forgotten it. Brainerd has been so wonderful in supporting this unit through all the years from the time they shipped out to the time they returned and every year they remember. They've kept us alive for generations after generations. People shared their stories about the men of the 194th including Walter Strucka, the last surviving member of Company A. I haven't seen a lot of them for years and it's really nice to talk to them because I haven't seen them. We all got scattered around. They come and this is a pretty nice visit with them. It's a very nice visit. Growing up we heard all of these names as part of a family history, family legacy knowing all of the names of the guys in the unit and now I see these people and some of them I've never met but their names are very, very familiar so it's great. Today's event also featured a special ceremony where this document signed by all members of the 34th Tank Company was unveiled. We found the scraps and put it together. I can't believe it. That guy put that together from scraps. We're probably one of, I'm guessing, one of very few memorials around the country that has a signature document with their memorial that includes every man on there. The document is just another way that Brainerd will continue to remember the men of the 194th. We just need to keep that memory alive and educate young people as to what happened and why and hopefully it will never happen again. Reporting in Brainerd, A.J. Feldman, Lakeland News. A copy of the signed document was given to family members today and they've also been made available to the public by contacting the 194th Tank Regiment. If you enjoyed this segment of Lakeland News, please consider making a tax-deductible contribution to Lakeland PBS.