Congratulations....

...Coach LeBeau on your induction into the NFL Hall of Fame! An awesome player, and awesome coach, and truly a man who is proving to everyone that what you can accomplish is not at all limited by how old you are. Here's to many more years at the helm of the most awesome D in the league! Blitzburgh is here, and the Steeler Nation is loving it! Here We Go!

A Few of the Many Reasons...

...why I'll swear by the fact that the Gettysburg Battlefield is truly one of the most beautiful places in the World. Lucky for me, I live close enough to be able to see such sights on a regular basis!

More Than a Few Years Ago.

a few of my friends got the bright idea of doing a book on a very-overlooked historical topic, the Confederate retreat from Gettysburg. Thousands of books had been written on the campaign and the battles, but little had been done about the retreat. It was always an area of great interest they had, and they wanted to learn more about it. In their quest to learn, they also had the desire to educate. They would document what they would learn so that others could have the same experience. years, and 900 cited-references later, the book came out. It was well-worththe wait. Depending on when you ask one of them, they may even tell you it was worth the tremendous time, effort, and frustration spent!

I think that mentality is what drives every historian. You know so much that you realize the amount of information that can still be learned. In your adventure to learn more, you want to teach others. Without historians, authors, teachers, educators, etc., where would we be?

I truly feel that living historians/military reenactors share the same desire. We want to acquire uniforms and equipment, we want to learn tactics, we want to find out the sentiment of the times we are portraying, and we are like great sponges, soaking up any and all knowledge we can. As we absorb this vast amount of knowledge, we can't help but want to share what we learn with others.

That is what being a living historian is all about. You teach history by in a small way becoming much like those you represent. You can tell a classroom full of students that the Civil War uniform was uncomfortably hot, you can tell them that an M-1 Garand rifle made a distinct ping when the empty clip ejected, and you can tell them that the food was bland and often not good. They can say they get it, remember a small bit of it, and move on. That is a basic education.

Add a living historian to the mix, and the students can feel the heaviness of the uniform, and maybe even try it on. The can hear the empty clip eject from the Garand. They can see and possibly taste the rations, etc. Students can learn more in one 40 minute living history program than they can in a semester of classroom education. The in-person,, hands-on experience, the idea that they physically touched a piece of history can outlast all the book-learning experience ever obtained.

I think this is why we do it. I know it is why I do it! It is why I want to read more books, attend more events, buy more gear, and talk with other reenactors. Individually, we can inform. Together, we can teach not only the event attendees, but each other. Everyone has different ideas, sees things differently and draws different conclusions to the same occurrences. By telling each other what we know and see, we can all experience different insight.

In my case, my desire to learn is what fuels my desire to teach. Each time I learn a new fact or get a new piece, I want to show or tell others. It's not bragging, not saying I am better than they are, and not being a snob. It truly is sharing! Sharing in a way that the past is preserved. Sharing in a way that memories are kept alive. Sharing so that the horrible events of the past can be remembered so that they never are repeated.

I had a spectator last weekend ask my a two-part question: Why do we collect all the stuff we do? and Why do we feel the need to haul it out, set it up, and show it off?He thought it would be too expensive and too much trouble.

My answer was that,when you see car collectors or show car owners, they have no problem spending money on their cars. When completed, they haul their cars out and line them up so that they can show them off. I said that I am not a car show person. I'm a militaria collector. I acquire gear, and stockpile it in my basement. I enjoy having it, seeing it, and finding out more about it. I also enjoy taking it out, setting it up, showing it off, and telling people about it. My collection is my show car, and a living history event is my car show. He said he never thought of it that way, but it made sense. I hit an area with which he could relate, and he left entertained and educated. That is what it is all about.

In the last post, I challenged living historians and reenactors to comment on why they do it and what they want to accomplish? That challenge stays. I also challenge those who are not living historians, but who attend living histories and reenactments, to tell why they go, what they learn, and what they'd like to see?

Comment,please. If they're on topic, I'll post them no matter the content!

Why the Obsession...?

...with trying to re-live history? The photos are from a small event I did with a few friends in Gettysburg this past weekend. It was a good event. We wanted to do something besides Civil War, so we did a small WWII presentation.

I brought along a large part of my collection, including some of my recently acquired British gear. I was going to wear the British uniform, but with temperatures nearing 100 degrees, and a heat index well over 100, I decided that a wool uniform that is even heavier than a CW uniform might not have been the best of ideas, so I went relatively comfortable in U.S. HBT's.

But, the question still resounds. Why the obsession? You see what I have, and add it to what the other guys brought along (we had a WWII .30 cal. machine gun, several M-1's, a BAR, and a guy with over 15 various WWII pistols, let alone all the gear). There are some museums that have less gear than what we had lying next to the sidewalk.

Yet, I still have a list several pages long of things I'd still like to buy. I have 4 US helmets, but I'd like another. I have an M-1, but I'd like another. I'd like more K-rations, and some C rations, etc. You get the point!

No matter how much I get, though, there will always be more I want, and everyone I know who does this feels the same way. Why?

I have 3 Civil War muskets, and 4 sets of accoutrements. I've got 4 CW uniforms, etc. There again, I'm not bragging, but you get it.

I'll never be a Civil War soldier, and I don't claim I will. I'll never know what it was like to be a WWII soldier. I've seen modern things and done things they've never done. Soldiers from all eras, though have experienced hardships, fear and loss on an unimagineable scale, and no matter who much gear we have, we won't be able to relate. So, what are we trying to accomplish?

Are we satisfying our own curiosity? Arewe trying to see or feel or smell what they did? The uniforms are uncomfortable to a degree one can't imagine without actually wearing them. The weapons in operation are fantastic, but you might not understand unless you saw them in real-time.

It goes on and on. No one knows how many historic reenactors there are in the country, or the world. It is estimated that there are over 100,000 CW reenactors in the US alone, and that the number of WWII reenactors is approaching 25,000. WWII is the fastest growing segment of the reenacting world, so that may change very soon. Time will tell!

If you are a reenactor or a living historian, please comment on what you have, why you do it, and what you think of the hobby as a whole. I'll post them all, and we all look nforward to reading them.

Thank you!

Pt. 4 - An Addendum

I know that Pt. 3 was supposed to be the last part, but after some feedback I thought a Pt. 4 might be in order. Many thanks to Jim Coyle for asking the question that inspired this posting.

The question I overlooked : What do spectators think at events where there are Waffen SS reenactors present? The answer is a serious, "I'm not quite sure!"

I've seen different reactions, a few of which were kind of subtle, and a few that were vocal. Let's re-cap. Please note that any conclusions drawn are merely personal opinion.

I feel that spectators, just like other reenactors, look on the SS with a morbid curiousity. Morbid from the aspect of what the SS represents. Battlefield accomplishments aside, the SS represents death! Plain and simple! The SS administered the death camps, and the SS masterminded the death of some 11 million people. I think from the history aspect, people see the SS up close and personal and want to find out what they are all about? There is no admiration. There is no respect. Most people are familiar with the Holocaust, but may not be distinctly familiar with the SS and their part in it. Thus, it becomes educational to a point.

I overheard someone questioning an SS reenactor with, "Why would you want to do that or represent that?" The answer was that it is part of history, but at the same time, a direct answer was avoided. That in itself made me wonder why, and what was trying to be avoided? If you are so proud of what you do, why don't you defend your choice and stand up for what you believe in?

Sometimes, outright hostility comes out. I heard of (second-hand info., so make of it what you will) of a confrontation between someone who had relatives who died in the death camps and a group of SS reenactors. It got hostile to the point of law enforcement coming and the event ending.

Most times, though, they are just ignored, the idea being "Just because they are there, we don't have to even acknowledge them. Don't glorify them, Don't accept them. Maybe they'll get bored and go away." It never works, but the idea is there. They can do their thing, and tomorrow we'll all go home.

I've seeen the rituals and heard the oaths. They do happen! Supposedly it is all secret, but at reenactments after midnight, anti-Semetic rituals are sometimes performed, and oaths and indoctrination happen. Event organizers sometimes prohibit them from coming, but then the whole dicrimination issue comes into effect. The SS use the same freedoms and beliefs that those whom they represent despised, and they hope this will benefit their cause.

As can be expected, SS reenactors always get first-class invites to Aryan Nation events. They personify what these events are all about, so they are treated like VIP's. Since most SS reenactors share the beliefs of the event, they attend, but in an effort to divert attention, they rarely attend in uniform. They don't want to be perceived as extremists!

Hello? You are at a Neo-Nazi event, and you own uniforms and equipment that represent mass-murderers! How much more extremism do you need?

The best advice I can give is to stay away. Don't show interest. Don't cause confrontation. Let them believe what they want. Just like a radio station you find offensive or a tv show you don't like. Don't try to regulate them away, as that will only encourage a fight and draw attention (exactly what they want!). Just don't watch or listen to their programming agenda!

The Best Group of Guys...

...I've ever fought alongside. Co E of the 1st Kentucky Infantry, CSA. Seeing this picture brought back more than a few memories. It was probably taken 15yrs ago. My, how things have changed!

I got the Civil War bug in '94, and it has never gone away (I'm told it never will! I believe that!). I was in Nashville, having read the roadsigns of the various battlefields on the way there. I bought a Civil War magazine, and got interested. I then watched Gettysburg, and my life was changed forever! I bought the VHS Director's Cut (I paid $100 for the thing!), and when I watched "The Making Of" featurette, I was hooked!

"If these guys are reenactors, why can't I be? I can do that!" I thought. In a move that would have made Sarah Brady proud, I took one of my AR-15's one of my 2 Glocks, and an AK-47 clone I had at the time to a gun show and sold them. This was my "Civil War startup money". I then began reading the magazines and searching online. I was heavily involved in an online Civil War chatroom at the time, and it was frequented by several reenactors. they helped me find gear and gave a lot of advice.It also was how I started meeting me author-friends in the CW community. I learned of a major Civil War show coming up in Mansfield, OH, so I planned to go. (That was when I first met one of my friends in the Civil War community, Eric Wittenberg. We've come along way since that brief meeting!).

At the show, I bought some gear, and checked prices on what I would need to complete my "kit". Shortly afterward, I ordered a uniform and a musket from Old Sutler John. I was like a child on Christmas morning when a big package that I had to sign for came a few weeks later! I was an Armi-sport Enfield, and it was mine!

I wanted to go to the "Real Fury of Gettysburg" reenactment. I bought a dog tent, and some other camp items, and thought I was ready. Though I knew nary a soul who would be there, I figured I'd survive, learn some things, and possibly even enjoy it!

Guess what? I wasn't ready. I got into Gettysburg and registered early Friday afternoon. Since I knew no one there and didn't have a unit, I decided to make my pilgimmage to 'the Mecca'. I thought I had time to kill, so I went to town and also took a drive around the battlefield. Big mistake! While I was out, the rain began!

It rained, and rained, and rained some. "The Real Fury" soon became "The Real Mud of Gettysburg"! I returned to the reenactor parking lot, and my car swiftly and quickly sunk into the mud. I was there to stay for awhile. Not bad, but it was getting dark, and I had nothing in camp. I didn't even know where my particular camp would be. Who thinks that far ahead? I packed up what I needed for the night, and started walking with everyone else.

Two Confederate reenactors were walking into camp. One of them had a lantern, and I was using it to help find my way. The three of us got to talking. I told them my predicament, and they not only invited my to camp with them, but they had an extra tent (an A-frame, even!) that I could use, and unit I could fall in with! Talk about Southern hospitality, even on Northern soil!

As the weekend progressed, I learned A LOT! What I needed, what I didn't need, etc., how to march and fight in Napoleanic style, the manual of arms, etc. Most importantly, I made several good friends. I saw and fought with them many times over the years. Though I've been away and out of touch with them for a few years, I think about them all often. Everytime I pass the red barn on Pumping Station Rd, or even see it in the movie, I remember that weekend.

I had the chance to catch up with them at the reenactment this year, but too much was going on. I'm now sorry I did not! Have faith, 1st Kentucky! I'll march with y'all again soon! I'm planning a trek to Cedar Creek, so all is not lost!

"SACRED DIRT!"

Pt. 3 - Hiding in Plain Sight

Joachim Peiper, a Waffen SS officer, was convicted of war crimes from the massacre of over 70 Allied POW's near the town of Malmedy in Belgium during the German Ardennes Offensive. He is in the picture. German troops at the annual "Battle of the Bulge" reenactment in Ft. Indiantown Gap, PA reenact Peiper's unit. These reenactors actually celebrate Adolph Hitler's birthday. They toast him, sing to him, and eat cake! Huh? I can hear it now. "Happy Birthday to you! Now go kill some Jews!" How is this even tolerated on a US military facility? You want to toast Der Fuhrer? Fine! On your own time and in private.

At a living history in Indiana a few years ago, there were Waffen SS reenactors present. Some rocket scientist decided it was a good idea to come in first person personna as Adolph Hitler! Yep! True story, and it gets better! When asked to leave, the SS reenactors in attendance threatened to leave also. They said it was not fair. They planned a ceremony in his honor, and were hoping he would review the troops. They were honored he was there, and they treated him like a god! They all were asked to leave!

I was at an event in Ohio a few years ago at an airport near Cleveland. An African-American family was there. They were newly immigrated from South Africa. The father made mention of Apartheid when he saw the German reenactor camp. One of the SS reenactors overheard him. The reenactor said that the only problem with Apartheid was that they stopped it too soon! Event security cautioned the reenactors that they were treading very close to ethnic intimidation and that they should watch what they say. Comments from the camps were, "So much for a free country!", and "I guess you pigs have never heard of the 1st Amendment!". All this while wearing the SS Death's head hat and the uniform of the Waffen SS! So much for freedom, indeed!

Lori and I went to Chantilly, VA this past weekend to a WWII living history on the Sully plantation. There were US, British, Russian, Canadian and German camps. Some of the gear was pretty good! There was a Kubelwagen, a large display of German weapons and equipment, and even a German halftrack. That is living history. To teach people firsthand what the Allies were up against. You could see Panzerfausts, and see their similarities to the modern RPG. You could see that the AK-47 truly was a derivative of the German MP-44,  much like the American M-60 machine gun came from the German MG-42. It was interesting. I thought, "Here's a group of German reenactors doing it right! It was a good-sized encampment. Then, I noticed an officer with the SS lightning bolts on his collar, and a Totenkopf (Death's head) hat on his cot. It was hidden in plain sight, meaning he was keeping a low profile, but the hatred apparently was there!

Finally, Lori and I had a popcorn-selling and living history display set up by Battlefields and Beyond bookstore in Gettysburg in May. I had some US paratrooper gear set up. I got to talking with 2 groups of guys about reenacting. One guy said that the biggest problem he had was that there were still a lot of WWII vets alive, and he didn't think it was right to have German reenactors. The other group was from German lineage, and they said they reenacted basic German infantry because they had family members who were conscripted into the Wehrmacht. Though they weren't proud of what the leaders of their Fatherland had done, it was who they were! Excellent! Remember your heritage.

I said that almost all of the WWII veterans I talked to (and I've evn talked with Hermann Goering's personal cell guard from when he was in captivity) say they have no problem with the basic German soldier or reenactor. Their problem is with the SS, and they have no idea why someone would ever want to recreate that? All agreed with me.

As I talked with the German reenactors, they told me that even the average German reenactor hates SS renactors. "They're all a bunch of cultists and fanatics! Most of the regular Germans shoot at them too. We do! We just wish we could use real ammo!"

So, there you have it! With the stigma of Hitler, and the aura of hatred, why would anyone want to reenact one of the most hated military organizations in military history unless they themselves shared the same hatred? They use the disguise of history, but they truly I feel are using it for hate!

Comments? Please post them! Thanks!