Pros / Cons, and opinions on Re-enactors

[lmritger]

Only one word comes to mind for this:

DAYUM.

[Django]

The entire thread was worth that single photo.

[TonyM]

The woman in the photo reminds me of my very beautiful wife.





Also, a problem I noticed with some female WWII re-enactors---Don't use pleats in your costume. The armed forces did not use pleats and civilian manufacturers got rid of pleats to save materials for the war effort. It was considered unpatriotic to use pleats. I have seen female WWII re-enactors using pleated skirts on several occassions.



TonyM.

[Obergrafeter]

Boy.....you talk about being anal about reinactor costumes!!!!!! Just kidding Tony.

[TonyM]

Boy.....you talk about being anal about reinactor costumes!!!!!! Just kidding Tony.

I helped put the anal in analysis.

TM

[Saville]

Ryan is not going to be happy with this.., but.....

The other type of dressing up to play 'wargames'.., creeps me out a bit. I did that for real several years back and have no desire to ever 'play' that game again. Any veterans participate in this? Or is it mainly for people who wish they had joined up?
What do veterans feel about it?
Any feedback from them?

In regards to Warbirds.., I personally like it when the pilot or crewmen dress in context with their aircraft. It is the running around on the ground and playing war that turns me off. I am not sure why.,. it is the same thing as what the Warbirds are doing above.., but just has an entirely different feel to it. They just look like a bunch of 11 year olds pretending.

I have to say I agree with the "creeped out" feeling. I used to do Revolutionary War Re-enacting. I live in Marblehead, Ma - a town heavily steeped in the Revolution. I did enjoy steering the close replica of the type of boat that ferried Washington across the Delaware, on the 225th anniversary of The Crossing, at the exact spot where they crossed. But mainly I liked it because of being at the spot, and because I was responsible for getting the boatload or re-enactors safely across the river.

The townspeople of Marblehead like it when the group stages mock battles in the town streets (which never happened), mainly, I suspect, because of the noise. 25-50 muskets on a side blasting away with black powder. Lots of smoke and noise.

And we marched during the Town Memorial Day parade and the townspeople clapped and smiled.

Well (to answer your question about the Vet's response) one year a bunch of guys decided to spend huge gobs of cash on WWII re-enactment gear and join the Parade. Thing was ACTUAL WWII vets were in the parade. Almost all of them HATED that. We, and they, WERE playing pretend and to be honest, to me it looked and felt stupid.

I repeat: To me.

There were the usual guys in our group - like every re-enactment group - who were very persistent in their grousing about other people's anachronisms. I found them tiresome.

I turned in my tricorn and never looked back.

Were I to own a warbird I wouldn't mind flying around for shows: mainly because of the challenge. I might wear an A-2 and a Period accurate baseball cap. But I would not forego the Nomex for a period accurate flight suit.

[cco23i]

That's one thing that I WISH would happen, is to have pilots in period dress so when we do a preflight walk around they look like it's 1944 as we do.

Scott

[RyanShort1]

Ryan is not going to be happy with this.., but.....

What? The opinion, or the girls? Note: Pictures edited out for my response... I've stated before that a significant portion of the reenacting scene actually bothers me, too. That makeup looks really fake, too.

The other type of dressing up to play 'wargames'.., creeps me out a bit. I did that for real several years back and have no desire to ever 'play' that game again. Any veterans participate in this? Or is it mainly for people who wish they had joined up?
What do veterans feel about it?
Any feedback from them?

In regards to Warbirds.., I personally like it when the pilot or crewmen dress in context with their aircraft. It is the running around on the ground and playing war that turns me off. I am not sure why.,. it is the same thing as what the Warbirds are doing above.., but just has an entirely different feel to it. They just look like a bunch of 11 year olds pretending.

The veterans and current service members' response was the reason I started the thread. Randy mentioned some good and valid points, and I respect him a lot. I have actually significantly backed off of any "reenacting" for this reason. That said, I see some serious hypocrisy in those who would go to a movie to see the story told - likely very inaccurately - by paid actors for entertainment purposes, and then complain about another group, many of whom have a real passion for history, that are unpaid volunteers, highlighting servicemen's efforts and wartime experiences. At the event that I helped head up in the pictures I posted, we spent probably twice as much time on the history - reading a script on my part, and on the reenactors part, giving weapons, tactics, and history presentations. A number of them are even professional historians working with "G Company" of the Texas Military Forces Museum - and a number of them are also veterans. Some are from another local group with what used to be called the Nimitz Museum. Some of these veterans also help train the US Army in addition at various military bases playing "bad guys" for our troops to engage. Anyway, I think there is some value in it, as long as it's done right. The guys who do it mainly to live out there fantasies - well, that's their choice, and it's a free country.
As for me, I'm a pilot, I teach people how to fly, and I like the WWII era aircraft. No, I never earned command pilot wings with the USAAF or USAF, but it's not like I'm a fake pilot. When I go to an airshow with the L-2 or L-5, I don't feel that I am disrespecting the veterans by displaying their aircraft, and have gotten decent comments from a lot of the older veterans for the way I do it. Someday I would LOVE to do a really decent "L-bird" demo for an airshow, with simulated artillery pyro, a simulated medevac pickup, and a short / soft field performance demo, but I don't know that it will ever happen outside of our little field. If I chose to do it in a repro or vintage uniform, I think it would look better than the shorts and tanktop that is effective for Kyle Franklin in his student pilot routine in the Super Cub.
Oh, and I need to go on and launch the effort to repaint the L-5. I got permission from the squadron to start the effort!

Ryan

[Pat M]

What about the re-enactors in the bars uptown in Geneseo, trying to pick up the townies after the airshow? I haven't quite figured them out. Reminds me of a band of brothers on leave in Paris, but I don't think my dad ever had the opportunity when he was in Biak or Zamboanga. A guy in his late teens/early 20's should just sign the dotted line, join the Army or the Marines, and the girls would really be impressed. There's two wars on.....they'd be glad to have him.

[cco23i]

What about the re-enactors in the bars uptown in Geneseo, trying to pick up the townies after the airshow? I haven't quite figured them out. Reminds me of a band of brothers on leave in Paris, but I don't think my dad ever had the opportunity when he was in Biak or Zamboanga. A guy in his late teens/early 20's should just sign the dotted line, join the Army or the Marines, and the girls would really be impressed. There's two wars on.....they'd be glad to have him.

You would be surprised how many of US HAVE served. Many came into reenacting to get back to "the feeling" of being with your compadres. I spent 27 years in fixing airplane for the Air Force and reenact to help show the public what the "unsung heroes" of the airwar did.

Scott

[Mudge]

What about the re-enactors in the bars uptown in Geneseo, trying to pick up the townies after the airshow? I haven't quite figured them out. Reminds me of a band of brothers on leave in Paris, but I don't think my dad ever had the opportunity when he was in Biak or Zamboanga. A guy in his late teens/early 20's should just sign the dotted line, join the Army or the Marines, and the girls would really be impressed. There's two wars on.....they'd be glad to have him.

Are you telling me that some of the reenactors at Geneseo actually wear their gear into the bars? How infantile!
If I saw a reenactor, after an event, "off base" like that, I'm sure I'd have to say something to him. I'm sure I'd be told to "pi$$ off" but I sure would embarrass the dude before I "pi$$ed off".

Mudge the astonished

ps. Not a likely scenario, however, as I haven't been in a bar in a lot of years.

[cco23i]

It all depends also. We are working on building a living history airbase set in 1944 and the city is restoring 6 square blocks of downtown to 1940's. We intend to have our students and other reenactors go on R&R down town to relax and that in turn will add more to the local economy. Heck after our civil war, WW1 and WW2 reenactments we ALL would go to get a bite to eat and talk over the past event.

Scott

[Mudge]

It all depends also. We are working on building a living history airbase set in 1944 and the city is restoring 6 square blocks of downtown to 1940's. We intend to have our students and other reenactors go on R&R down town to relax and that in turn will add more to the local economy. Heck after our civil war, WW1 and WW2 reenactments we ALL would go to get a bite to eat and talk over the past event.

Scott

OK...if the area where you are is in reenactment mode, fine. Whether it's downtown or on the premises of the main "show". I would consider that "on base". Otherwise, totally inappropriate IMHO.

Mudge the purist

[Jiggersfromsphilly]

What about the re-enactors in the bars uptown in Geneseo, trying to pick up the townies after the airshow? I haven't quite figured them out. Reminds me of a band of brothers on leave in Paris, but I don't think my dad ever had the opportunity when he was in Biak or Zamboanga. A guy in his late teens/early 20's should just sign the dotted line, join the Army or the Marines, and the girls would really be impressed. There's two wars on.....they'd be glad to have him.

Are you telling me that some of the reenactors at Geneseo actually wear their gear into the bars? How infantile!
If I saw a reenactor, after an event, "off base" like that, I'm sure I'd have to say something to him. I'm sure I'd be told to "pi$$ off" but I sure would embarrass the dude before I "pi$$ed off".

Mudge the astonished

ps. Not a likely scenario, however, as I haven't been in a bar in a lot of years.

The Hooters in Reading PA sees a lot of guys in their vintage outfits during the WW2 weekend every June. Sad that they have to wear them to hit on waitresses who wouldn't give them the time of day otherwise.

[p51]

What about the re-enactors in the bars uptown in Geneseo, trying to pick up the townies after the airshow? I haven't quite figured them out. Reminds me of a band of brothers on leave in Paris, but I don't think my dad ever had the opportunity when he was in Biak or Zamboanga. A guy in his late teens/early 20's should just sign the dotted line, join the Army or the Marines, and the girls would really be impressed. There's two wars on.....they'd be glad to have him.

Are you telling me that some of the reenactors at Geneseo actually wear their gear into the bars? How infantile!
If I saw a reenactor, after an event, "off base" like that, I'm sure I'd have to say something to him. I'm sure I'd be told to "pi$$ off" but I sure would embarrass the dude before I "pi$$ed off".

Mudge the astonished

ps. Not a likely scenario, however, as I haven't been in a bar in a lot of years.

Re-enacting has evolved through the years. When I got into WW2 in the 80s, it was very common for groups to go “off base” in groups to hit restaurants and bars. You have to understand it was viewed in a different light back then. It was really common and nobody would have thought anything odd about it (except that the SS and later German infantry/paratrooper guys started to be told not to wear their uniforms off the event grounds). I don’t think it’s that common these days, but you’d see it at all the large events. For example, I remember the New Orleans event in 1992, they strongly supported us going down into the tourist areas, so the public in the French Quarter would know of the event and maybe get some press coverage, which happened exactly as the organizers had hoped. In 1994 at the Virginia Beach D-Day event, the same thing happened, people hit the town in their dress uniforms, several hundreds of us were all over the place.
I wouldn’t do that today, nor do I think the large events push that anymore, as the hobby has morphed quite a bit since then.