Nearly every male member on both sides of the Gatekeeper's family is a veteran...with a capital "V"- from the Revolutionary War through the Civil War here in the US and through both World Wars "over there".

And that's just one side of the family!

On the other side of the Atlantic, Great Grandpa was a member of the 14th Hussar regiment and a military fencing champ.

As the first great-granchild, I was privy to his recollections - recollections which eventually got the best of him.  He all too frequently recalled how their uniform comprised of a plumed shako, light blue tunic, and red breeches  made them stand out in the fields, easy pickings for "les boches".  I can still hear his words today - "We could not even see them in their olive drab while we stood out like pigeons in a shooting gallery!"  It haunted him the rest of his life.  He felt so strongly about this Grande Guerre experience that he re-enlisted for the Deuxieme Guerre or WWII.  Photos to come...

Funny thing life...the Germans would make quite an impression on this family, in more ways than ever imagined. 

My grandfather, his son-in-law, was captured at age 13 along with several of his friends, by German cavalry officers on a reconnaisance mission.  He would spend nearly 4 years as a prisoner only to be freed by American troops near the end of WWI. 

His teenage experience at the hands of the Germans would actually form the basis of his military career and his life after WWII.

From La Grande Guerre to WWII and other conflicts, we have much to share about our interest in history from the viewpoint of our relatives [on both sides of the Atlantic and  the armies of two different countries] who participated in these events and the viewpoint of those of us in the family who now strive to keep that history alive for future generations.

Lest we forget.

What is living history a.k.a. re-enectaing?

Ever wonder who those men, women and even children are proudly parading down Main Street dressed in historical clothes?  How did they get there, what drives them and how did they get the equipment they use?

Welcome to the world of re-enacting also known as "living history". 

Men, women and entire families with a passion for history participate in re-enacting.

Perhaps they have an ancestor [as I do] who fought in the US Civil War or a grandparent who participated in one or both World Wars [as I do]. 

Perhaps they are driven by the desire to experience what it really felt like to wear the clothing, or experience the daily life, wield a sword and wear armor like the medieval knights once did. 

For the most part, these people re-enact only for the personal satisfaction and the experience of stepping back in time.  It is rarely done for money - unless you are hired as a movie extra.

Re-enacting is a hobby, a very popular hobby at that. 

Without a doubt, the most popular historical period in re-enact is the American Civil War.  More than 40,000 Civil War re-enactors throughout the United States and abroad participate in one or more re-enactments each year.

You may have seen US Civil War re-enactors in a Veteran's Day parade or at special "living history" exhibits held any given weekend all over the US and the World.

The reenactors of the Civil War represent almost all aspects of life of the period, representing soldiers and sailors as well as civilians.

To a lesser degree, other periods of history are also represented by dedicated reenactors.  The French and Indian War, The Revolutionary War, The Spanish-American War, World War I, Prohibition, World War II, and the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam are growing in popularity in the United States and Europe.  As well as those periods, ancient times are also seen, such as the Vikings, Romans, Pirates and Privateers, The English Civil War, etc…  You name it, there is probably a reenactor hunting clothing patterns for a particular time period they are interested in.

Reenactors can be classified into two groups; hardcores and casuals. There are casual reenactors who are "weekend warriors", regular Joes and Janes during the week, who come out to a reenactment or a parade to have fun and enjoy the company of other like-minded reenactors.  These folks do the research and collect, but they don't invest as much time and effort into it as the hardcores do. Hardcore reenactors are intense hobbyists who research, hunt and collect items and information from their chosen period. There are also many hardcores who have a trade skill and actually build/create period-correct items, such as furniture, clothing, art, etc.  Some hardcore Civil War reenactors have been known to walk the routes of the armies they portray, wearing the gear that an average soldier might have worn, camping under the stars.

Hardcore or casual, reenactors participate in their hobby for fun and to honor history.  They help to educate the public as to how people in their chosen period lived, what they went through and the kinds of things that they did to entertain themselves, etc.  All too often, reenactors are accused of having political agendas, but the folks who actually do have such agendas are very much in the minority.

I would encourage anyone to attend a living history exhibit this spring - talk to the reenactors.

They are not animatronic robots who are part of the scenery. They are all real people who love to interact and talk to people about their passion: history and re-living it!

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