Re: [MV] Reenactor/Living Historian

From: Dave Ball (vought@msn.com)
Date: Fri Oct 11 2002 - 01:14:48 PDT


TJ...

I visited the Nimitz Museum on the way home to California from the MVPA
convention the garden walls are a true quiet place and tell the story of men
and there sacrifices as well as anywhere I have been I spent a few hours
there.Also loved the M3 Stuart display and the Japanese mini sub from pearl
harbor it is a great Museum.
I think in that museum forum wearing the equipment is more of a living
history display and I think this is a very appropriate venue for display of
equipment and uniforms.
I am a founding Member of the Jimmy Dolittle air and space Museum there are
displays of this sort there and the Veterans participate including the old
Raiders that are still alive. The Vets love to see history in this type of
venue this is why they donate so much of there equipment and time they also
love to see the B25 restorations fly and most of the veteran pilots wear
there uniforms from WW2 there are no war games involved but rather living
history displays of historical value.
Many Schools make field trips to the Museum and learn the history of WW2,
Korea and Vietnam by talking to these men who act as Docents as well as
other veterans like those that flew B-29's from Tinian or the hump in
C-121's nicknamed old shaky or dropped napalm from a F-105 Thud I believe
this is an excellent non violent way for Kids to see and learn of our
military and its deployments.
I have gone up with many old pilots and most of the old flyers have more of
a connection to the planes than to the uniforms and arms carried by them
they recount how the planes handled and the maneuvers and formations they
used to ward off the German fighters these men tell there story better than
anyone can.
I have worked with the old guys restoring the planes there passion is for
the platform not the weapons that fell from it.
The plane was there way in and way out of hell day in and day out they loved
there planes gave them names and talked to them and they still do the
uniforms are an added garnish but not much more.
These Museums are scattered all across our country and anyone can volunteer
and help with restorations and become docents.
An added bonus you can drive your military truck all over the base anytime
you want and ferry flyers from operations to the planes when asked even the
young kids flying C-5 Galaxies love to ride out to there giant in a WW2
Dodge or Jeep.
I suppose someday they will be old men in the museum telling the kids what
it takes to maintain our freedom.
Sacrifice plain and simple.

Dave

----- Original Message -----
From: "Timothy Smith" <timothy.smith1@worldnet.att.net>
To: "Military Vehicles Mailing List" <mil-veh@mil-veh.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 13, 2002 12:15 AM
Subject: [MV] Reenactor/Living Historian

> Dave,
>
> Speaking as a guy who wasn't there.....
>
> All or None.....Black or White.....Rocket Scientist or Bonehead. One
would
> think that in this day and age when we think of ourselves as enlightened,
we
> could learn to think in the gray areas more often.
>
> All reenactors are not moronic fat bodied sad sacks....but you can bet
some
> are. All military vehicle owners are not closet anarchists.....but there
> must be a few our there. Everyone who wears a bomber jacket is not a
> disrespectful jerk.....maybe only ignorant. Not everyone with an opinion
is
> well informed..... (...and by the way, not ALL policemen are overbearing
> dick-heads....<I'm smiling>.....but we have a few of those to be sure.)
>
> But last time I checked, poor form was not a crime......at least not in
> Texas.
>
> Some of us wear the historic uniforms to educate others and ourselves. I
> won't belabor the topic with many fine examples of successful programs of
> all eras across the country that educate the public using men in uniforms
> and historic vehicles of the past. They do exist and their
accomplishments
> speak for themselves.
>
> I will relate to you, an experience that I had that I really cherish. I
> recall a day at the Nimitz Museum in Fredericksburg, Texas where a lot of

> old Marines came in to our Pacific Combat Zone Living History Program with
> their wives, and these men suddenly became young Marines again. (Most
were
> combat veterans of Iwo Jima, not REMFs. Do you consider REMFs as having
> been "there"?) It is hard to explain just what caused the transformation
> but it was a measureable change. I believe is was the fact that they were
> in the presence of young men in the same uniforms they wore, carrying the
> same equipment they carried. Some kind of fire was lit in these older men
> as they stood just a bit straighter, squared their shoulders and spoke
with
> us as equals, not wayward or misguided children, eager to share their
> experiences and knowledge. More than one wife came to us after their
> husband had gone to some other part of the exhibit. They actually had
tears
> in their eyes as they explained that until that day (THAT day!) their
> husbands had refused to speak of their war experiences at all. I see that
> as a tremendous compliment to us and an indicator that we are on track
with
> what we do there at the Nimitz Museum. I'm sure many a Historic Military
> Vehicle owner has had a similar experience.
>
> Our being there was not some fancy parlor game designed to trick these men
> out of giving up some part of themselves. They gave of themselves
> willingly...to people they knew would understand and care for and hold
that
> part of them for posterity. Our purpose for being there was to honor them
> by demonstrating that they and their achievements are NOT forgotton and
that
> we are eager to learn more about them while they are still around.
>
> Speaking as a living historian and sometime reenactor, some (but certainly
> not all) of us use our experiences as reenactors coupled with what
> information we learn from veterans to put what we learn into CONTEXT. If
> you believe it is to glorify war I am telling you straight out, you are
> wrong. You won't get context from putting together a mannequin or reading
a
> Time-Life book on WWII or driving your military vehicle in a parade in a
> plaid shirt and blue jeans and penny-loafers. I could write volumes on
the
> thousands of little things I've learned from these men but I don't have
the
> bragging rights....they do. I wear the uniforms because I have the time,
> energy and wherewithall to become the vessel that carries what I've
learned
> from our honored veterans to the next guy.
>
> My pedigree? Well, unlike Jim Burrill, I am not a veteran but I have
served
> my country and carried that miserable gun for a little more than 20 years
> now, in uniform, nearly half my life, as a police officer. I have never
> been in "combat" but I have been shot at and returned fire (and I thank
God
> the fellow had the good sense to give up) but that ain't combat in my
book.
> I have also taken a life in the course of my work and, while I must say it
> was mostly chance that it turned out that way, I regret it had to happen
at
> all.....I have found these experiences sound familiar to most veterans,
and
> for that reason, I think that's dang close enough.
>
> To preserve only the tools of the peace-makers and not the essence of the
> peacemakers themselves would be a twisted travesty.
>
> And you can quote me on that one.
>
> My two bits.....and my apologies if I rambled on....
>
> TJ Smith
> Living Historian, Reenactor, MV Owner, Police Officer
> MVPA 21162
>
>
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