Forum > WWII
Comradeship and the Decline of Sunday Reenacting
Sturmkatze:
Why can?t we have more comradeship? I mean there are many reenactors who just can?t wait to get out of their kit after the event? Why is this? Hell, you spent a LOT of money on it, why not hang out and have a beer and socialize? I have been doing it long enough to remember when WWI and WWII BOTH had battles on Sunday, not this crap of bugging out Saturday night or at 0-dark-thirty on Sunday morning.
One favorite WWII event that sticks in my mind was the 50th D-Day at Virginia Beach -- that was a damned great event! We got there on Wednesday and it went to Sunday? MAN what a flea market and we got a couple of good battles out of it, PLUS some really great comradeship. When you talk of WWI and WWII, nowadays it?s only Friday night and Saturday? used to be Friday eve, Sat afternoon, Saturday NIGHT and then Sunday morning. Saturday morning was reserved for stuff like training, trench work and the flea market? it was sad when that got changed. I can tell you that at the GWA's Fall event this last weekend (2-4 November) when I woke up at 08:50 on Sunday, there were like FIVE cars left in the parking lot ??? That sucks! All that work and preparation for just a few hours?!? Let's go back to Sunday combat at events!
Best, Marsh
atlanticwallblanks:
Having started 3 weeks after the 50th anniversary of D-Day (oh the stories I have heard!!!) I have seen a huge change to what you are talking about in WWII.
I too have become one of the get there on Friday bug out after the battle is over guys. Why?
It sure as hell isn't because I want to get back into the real world. I am a supervisor at Rubbermaid working 80 hours a week (5 days on 16 hour shifts - 7 days off) At home I have a wife and 3 daughters. Do you really think I want to go back to that? ;-(
Reality is that I have to. Either I have to get back to work or the wife is screaming at me to be home with the family and not go out into the dungeon to make blanks My wife is very serious about going to church, someone has to watch the little monsters while she goes. That = me. Where do you think I would rather be????
A lot of it with others is demographics as well. I forget the numbers off the top of my head, but something like 75% of the population has been at their job for less than 2 years, 50% for less than 1 year. Getting the time off is simply a problem. Divorces are way too common and getting back home to get the kids for the weekend that you are allowed to have them is a problem for some. This has been absolute hell on our unit this year. We dropped from 12 attending to 3-4 at best due to all the reasons above. Yea it will get better as time goes by, but the year is shot now.
Many have just come into a hobby that has been like this since they started and don't know any better. Todays society wants fast on the spot entertainment. Once the shooting is over, the guys think it is time to go home.
Myself, I would love to stick around and have told my wife we will be doing so at this weekends Torrance PA event. That will be the only one for this year though. The problem in a nutshell is life outside of the hobby doesn't allow for it most of the time, other just don't think to allow for it.
If we all stuck around to BS with each other a little bit more I think a lot of the BS politics would go away too - but again, that may be part of the problem, I don't like them so I am going home, when talking for 5 minutes just might solve most of the ego-centric problems in the hobby.
Just my unsolicited opinion. Take it for what opinions are worth.
Robb
Antonescu:
--- Quote from: atlanticwallblanks on November 11, 2007, 11:17:36 AM ---Having started 3 weeks after the 50th anniversary of D-Day (oh the stories I have heard!!!) I have seen a huge change to what you are talking about in WWII.
I too have become one of the get there on Friday bug out after the battle is over guys. Why?
It sure as hell isn't because I want to get back into the real world. I am a supervisor at Rubbermaid working 80 hours a week (5 days on 16 hour shifts - 7 days off) At home I have a wife and 3 daughters. Do you really think I want to go back to that? ;-(
Reality is that I have to. Either I have to get back to work or the wife is screaming at me to be home with the family and not go out into the dungeon to make blanks My wife is very serious about going to church, someone has to watch the little monsters while she goes. That = me. Where do you think I would rather be????
A lot of it with others is demographics as well. I forget the numbers off the top of my head, but something like 75% of the population has been at their job for less than 2 years, 50% for less than 1 year. Getting the time off is simply a problem. Divorces are way too common and getting back home to get the kids for the weekend that you are allowed to have them is a problem for some. This has been absolute hell on our unit this year. We dropped from 12 attending to 3-4 at best due to all the reasons above. Yea it will get better as time goes by, but the year is shot now.
Many have just come into a hobby that has been like this since they started and don't know any better. Todays society wants fast on the spot entertainment. Once the shooting is over, the guys think it is time to go home.
Myself, I would love to stick around and have told my wife we will be doing so at this weekends Torrance PA event. That will be the only one for this year though. The problem in a nutshell is life outside of the hobby doesn't allow for it most of the time, other just don't think to allow for it.
If we all stuck around to BS with each other a little bit more I think a lot of the BS politics would go away too - but again, that may be part of the problem, I don't like them so I am going home, when talking for 5 minutes just might solve most of the ego-centric problems in the hobby.
Just my unsolicited opinion. Take it for what opinions are worth.
Robb
--- End quote ---
All of this from a guy who got rolled over at Dunkirk like a smurf! ;D :D On a serious note, Robb are you guys really staying Saturday night? What time are you all going to be getting there? Leaving at 6 AM Friday morning so I will be the first out of our unit there I think.
atlanticwallblanks:
Now that was cheap, out of context it makes it sound like I got the raw end of something....oh wait, I did, never mind...
I will leave here after I get the kids off to school, that should put me there around noon(ish) The rest of the guys won't be there until around 4-6pm. I should be there roughly the same time as you.
We are sticking around until sometime Sunday. After last time when we had planned to stay and were too tired to move, my wife called and demanded I come home because of some church thing. It ain't happening this time. >:( >:( >:( >:(
If you guys are sticking around we can make a good time of it.
Robb
Sturmkatze:
--- Quote from: atlanticwallblanks on November 11, 2007, 06:13:22 PM ---After last time when we had planned to stay and were too tired to move, my wife called and demanded I come home because of some church thing.
--- End quote ---
Try these...
"Oh Honey, I NEVER got any of your calls... we were at the event."
* They don't allow cell phones
* I didn't have any bars of service
* I didn't get any calls there
* My battery was dead :-0 Darn it, I really wanted to go to church. **o
Never give up, NEVER SURRENDER!
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