The Spirit of Great War Reenacting

I had posted this on some WWI lists... thought i'd put it here for your perusal... not that people are posting (why is that?) sad

The Spirit of Great War Reenacting
During this Spring event (2008), there was a lot of comment about people not taking hits. I don’t mean a lone guy running, but whole units just ignoring being fired at – even up to being shot at with machine guns at close range?! I know that there was some discussion on why this was – having been in the hobby a number of years and having seen a few things during that time, I thought I’d comment.

In the GWA these days, as in life in general, time marches on and now we have a fair amount of members who were never at Shimpstown – guys who don’t remember Chris Aleo pacing around and yelling about how “Everybody dies!” That was our mantra and it is supposed to still be today. As he said then, “You’ve all read the casualty reports, you know how many of these men died. What should you do? You die! Remember, it’s not real; you can get back up in a bit.” Those words at every safety meeting kept us honest, they kept Great War special. It’s something we need again. It’s part of being “The Reenactor’s Reenactment,” a term that came about because it was true – reenactors who had tired of the same old crap in other time periods joined this one because it was different – it was better! Not only did we all take hits – in fact, it was a point of honor that you did so. We weren’t the “cowboys and indians” of WWII reenacting or the “fambily affair” of Civil War – this was GREAT WAR – we ALL DIED! It was important then and it’s important now. Something else to note: there is NO “winning” in this hobby – we all DIE! It seems in today’s world, there is the emphasis on “winning” – well this isn’t a game to win – it’s a hobby, us recreating a period of time long gone. Just die.

Something Special
Great War reenacting is something special, but it’s not because we’re all the same, it’s because of our differences! It’s a place where so many different people can come together to do something, and still be friends.

Types of Great War Reenactors
I was talking to former CP Rep, Merlin Hanson and he had a really good take on the hobby; he said there were a bunch of different types of reenactors who come to our events.

The Cap Busters (shooters?)
The “Poets”
The “scholars”
The "collectors"
The “dress-up kings”
The “gun nuts”
The "tactics Gurus"

Conclusion
What am I doing with this article? I guess trying to say come on guys, let’s get back to what makes Great War reenacting the best! Let’s all remember, we die – it’s what we DO! And really, let’s all try and work together – there IS no “winning” in our hobby.

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