Just what is reenacting?
Why do we reenact Vietnam? We do it for history. We do this because so many would rather forget the past. We do this to say "thank you." We hope that Veterans who view our site, and meet us, will understand and appreciate what we are trying to do.
 Just think for a moment. If we did not have Civil War reenactors, how many people would remember the massive sacrifice that our nation made in it’s struggle for maturity? Many will read about Gettysburg and remark that it was a tragedy. Until you attend a reenactment, you have no visual perception of the scale of human sacrifice and sorrow. It is then, truly then, that we can feel closer to our past as Americans. For those who say it's "too soon" to reenact Vietnam, we say "How long must we wait to honor our veterans?"
We do not dishonor or insult—we imitate and hope to flatter. How many Americans in their 20’s know about the Hill Fights, Ashau, Tet, or Hue? A handful at best. We work to help change that. Through reenacting, and participating in Vietnam theme airsoft battles, we hope to educate a new generation about these places where men sacrificed themselves and answered our Nation's call. We honor through imitation, we honor through “Living History”.
And if imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, we hope that we honor the veterans of the Vietnam War well. Take a look at the men of our team, ages ranging from 18 to late 30's, exactly the range of the men who volunteered for Recon. Some of us are former Force Recon Marines and have a wealth of military experience, others are not. But, our mutual respect for the men of Force Recon drives us to the desire to reenact so that their memory and sacrifice is not lost to the collective public. We do this through “living history.”
First made popular in the United States through the Park Service, “living history” is the putting together of a collection of articles that represent a person in a specific, historical time period. This collection of articles is generally called someone's "impression." Beyond the simple collection, living history involves someone wearing and using their collection acting and talking in a historical manner. In essence this actor becomes immersed in the time period.
Reenacting is a several living historians re-creating a particular moment in history.This is a high standard to achieve. It involves a lot more than dressing up in a period “costume” and running around the woods. If we are here to remember and to say “thank you” to the men who fought in the Vietnam War, we must immerse ourselves in every aspect possible.
We must learn however we can, and we must train so that we do not dishonor their memory. But it is through reenactment that we, as the beneficiaries of their sacrifice may learn a little bit more, in the most isolated of moments, about the daily life of the men of Force Recon.
 Please do not take this to mean that we compare this experience with that of combat. We’re not foolish enough to believe that we can understand the horror of war or about the death of comrades. At the end of the day, we’ll go home, wash our clothes, crack open a beer, kiss our wives/ girlfriends and go about our mundane lives. We enjoy the liberty so valiantly defended by veterans of all wars. But, for a few days, in those isolated moments in the field, we begin to grasp however briefly, what it means to leave that liberty behind and be a part of something greater.
If you are a Scoutmaster, instructor or educator and would like our squad to present to your group, please send us an email and tell us a little bit about your needs. We volunteer for educational purposes.
Recon is receptive to the possibility of stage and film extras. It is by far less expensive to hire fully equipped reenactors who know military tactics than train others and rent uniform props. Contact us for more information.
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