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Too old to "reenact"?


D.A.T.
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My fruit salad is what Old Blood & Guts had while he was 3 stars. At this event the guns were props. I don't take the real steel out in the Socialist Republic of Illinois!

 

ps - Patton did not always wear the foreign awards and he had a number of different uniforms with different fruit salads. :D

 

Also, his Army of Occupation medal was awarded posthumously in the mid 1950s. So unless Nazi sientists reanimated him, he wouldnt be wearing one! :lol:

 

P.S., I hope I am not offending anyone! If I am, I mean no disrepect to the General.

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I have the opposite problem. I do Gen. Patton on occasion. Mostly for school presentations, special event's etc. People say I am too young to be Patton. I pride myself in educating people about Ole Blood & Guts. I portray Lt. Gen. G.S. Patton Jr...NOT George C. Scott's version of Patton. :D

 

pattonandfj.jpg

 

LOL! I know that kraut on the left!

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You're more then welcome to hijack my post. Looks like you guys know how to have fun too. This thread is about us oldtimers, there may be "Snow on the roof, but there's still fire in the furnace"!

I read about your buddy Bilko in the Forum here somewhere, passed away long before his time, may he rest in peace.

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I've tried to scan and post a picture from Stantons "US Army Uniforms of WWII". Page 46 shows a 59 YOA private getting a award for oldest enlisted. I can't get it small enough to down load. If someone has the book and skill to maybe scan and post then there would be no more people saying your to old to reenact

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  • 2 weeks later...

I didn't get started in reenacting until 2007 at the age of 43. I started with WW2 Airborne because I liked the uniform and I've been doing it steady ever since. A couple/three years ago I built a Vietnam War Airborne and generic infantry impression, and this year I've added WW2 ETO and PTO pilot. My current project is WW2 USMC. I run three miles three times a week just to keep from getting heavier (I'm 5'7", 180 lbs).

 

I have a master plan, which is as I get older and fatter and less Airborne-like, I will migrate to USMC (P42 camoflage hides a few pounds), then to Air Forces as an older bomber group captain, and possibly Navy as career officer. My Airborne equipment will go on a mannequin, along with the weapons, so at least I can still participate in Living History events.

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  • 3 weeks later...
battlebaby99

Our oldest member is 88 years old George Wisniewski. He is a active WW II veteran of the 7th Armored Division. Yes is still marches and fights at reenactments in much of his original uniform with a carbine. He has captued many a German soldier at events and is the star of many other reenactment. Pappy is starting to slow down. He will be fighting at Remagen, aka Tidioute ,Pa again this year. He will be part of General Colt's staff.

 

Pat, 99th Infantry Division, Erie ,Pa

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Our oldest member is 88 years old George Wisniewski. He is a active WW II veteran of the 7th Armored Division. Yes is still marches and fights at reenactments in much of his original uniform with a carbine. He has captued many a German soldier at events and is the star of many other reenactment. Pappy is starting to slow down. He will be fighting at Remagen, aka Tidioute ,Pa again this year. He will be part of General Colt's staff.

 

Pat, 99th Infantry Division, Erie ,Pa

 

Here's to George Wisniewski. :salute:

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I guess it depends on the individual. As has been noted previously, if you're just going out to play Army it really doesn't matter if you're playing a WW-II combat airborne trooper and are 70 years old and/or are 5'5'' tall and weigh 250 lbs because you're just role-playing.

 

But now, the other side of that coin. I haven't been around the re-enacting section for quite some time but when I was, many here were expressing the need for absolute accuracy, down to the eyelets of the boots/shoes and the number of stitches in a piece of clothing. If that absolute accuracy is the goal, and the depiction is a combat unit, particularly Korea and earlier, then (in my opinion) one can, indeed, be too old or too fat to pull off an accurate re-enactment.

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I guess it depends on the individual. As has been noted previously, if you're just going out to play Army it really doesn't matter if you're playing a WW-II combat airborne trooper and are 70 years old and/or are 5'5'' tall and weigh 250 lbs because you're just role-playing.

 

But now, the other side of that coin. I haven't been around the re-enacting section for quite some time but when I was, many here were expressing the need for absolute accuracy, down to the eyelets of the boots/shoes and the number of stitches in a piece of clothing. If that absolute accuracy is the goal, and the depiction is a combat unit, particularly Korea and earlier, then (in my opinion) one can, indeed, be too old or too fat to pull off an accurate re-enactment.

Hi USMCRECON,

Thanks for jumping in. Looks like you hit the nail on the head, if you're going to play army, go for it, if you're going to reenact an authentic ww-2 US Army, US Marine, US Navy, USAAF, USCG impression and the rest, then I reckon age does make a difference. But finding these two earlier mentioned older gentlemen, Christian Nelson and Harry Rudolph, gave me personally a little more reason to hang in here a little longer, without feeling too guilty. ;)

You being a Marine, might like this short story, about one of my best buddies since puberty. I joined the army in 1972, my buddy said he'll join too, but later, and we'll meet up in Germany, so later he went downtown to enlist, the army recruiter's office was full, the Marine recruiter's office was empty, so he went in for a chat, a four year chat with the USMC! :lol:

Staying on the subject of Marines and reenacting, some of my Swiss buddies did a USMC reenactment of Tarawa, also in here in the Forum somewhere, asked me if I'd like to join in, I said sure, but only as a civilian War Photogragher, I can still imagine hearing my ol' Marine buddy jumping in my dufflebag for wearing a USMC uniform, there are just some things you don't do! :w00t:

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Hi USMCRECON,

Thanks for jumping in. Looks like you hit the nail on the head, if you're going to play army, go for it, if you're going to reenact an authentic ww-2 US Army, US Marine, US Navy, USAAF, USCG impression and the rest, then I reckon age does make a difference. But finding these two earlier mentioned older gentlemen, Christian Nelson and Harry Rudolph, gave me personally a little more reason to hang in here a little longer, without feeling too guilty. ;)

You being a Marine, might like this short story, about one of my best buddies since puberty. I joined the army in 1972, my buddy said he'll join too, but later, and we'll meet up in Germany, so later he went downtown to enlist, the army recruiter's office was full, the Marine recruiter's office was empty, so he went in for a chat, a four year chat with the USMC! :lol:

Staying on the subject of Marines and reenacting, some of my Swiss buddies did a USMC reenactment of Tarawa, also in here in the Forum somewhere, asked me if I'd like to join in, I said sure, but only as a civilian War Photogragher, I can still imagine hearing my ol' Marine buddy jumping in my dufflebag for wearing a USMC uniform, there are just some things you don't do! :w00t:

Great story. :thumbsup:

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  • 1 month later...

I have been reenacting since 1979. Started out in the LAH in N.C., when I was at Ft. Bragg, and remember going to an event wearing all original gear, save for the boots and uniform! Yeah, I cringe now... Got into Rev War in 1981, and did alot of 18th Century events for years. In the 90s I started doing the 508th PIR, and was one of 2 to 10 US Abn reenactors in the South until Saving Pvt Ryan and then B.O.Bs allowed about 5 zillion 506th reenactors to materialize. eh Over the last 10 years I've been doing CW and WWII with my sons, and changed back over to German, doing the 6th SS Gebirgsjaeger Div (German/Swedish, and several Mountain warfare schools made it an easy choice). In all of m years doing this I have not worn rank higher than what I was in the Army.....there are more than enough Walter Mittys out there to wear all the rank that they never earned to suit me. The groups I have been with generally consisted of prior service types, and we would just disappear into the woods and do our thing, which made the REMFs happy, so they can ride up and down the trails in their jeeps and such.

...ever notice that the greater the girth, the higher the rank....they usually own most of the vehicles too...Colonels driving M-8s....:-D I should not laugh too hard as I have been working myself down from size 42s! I like the fact that I can out walk and hump a ruck longer than most of the younger guys out on the reenacting field...unless they have just come from BUDS, SFAS, or Parris Island!

I also, like others have mentioned here, have not worn decorations higher than I earned, and on the US side, most are compatible with WWII era awards. Same on the German side, there are easy equivalents. My boys have earned some badges from years of participation, and the better units have requirements established that keeps self-adorned Audie Murphys from showing up. I have a great time doing it, and as stated by another earlier post, we are all just "playing Army" !

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  • 2 weeks later...
  • 5 months later...

Just thought I would add this picture. This soldier was in the same division as my Grandpa, 38th infantry division in the pacific. The picture comes from the division's book put out after the war.

 

post-27172-0-00035900-1351847755.jpg

 

The caption reads:

"Paul Grimes, our oldest and proudest doughfoot, raised the first American flag on the site of the reconquered Naval Base."

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Just thought I would add this picture. This soldier was in the same division as my Grandpa, 38th infantry division in the pacific. The picture comes from the division's book put out after the war.

 

post-27172-0-00035900-1351847755.jpg

 

The caption reads:

"Paul Grimes, our oldest and proudest doughfoot, raised the first American flag on the site of the reconquered Naval Base."

 

Got any more info on him? Age etc? Google doesnt help much. Would be nice to know more about him.

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Got any more info on him? Age etc? Google doesnt help much. Would be nice to know more about him.

 

In the back of the book it does list all the names of the guys in the division so I could find out what company he was with but as far as age goes I don't know.

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In the back of the book it does list all the names of the guys in the division so I could find out what company he was with but as far as age goes I don't know.

 

Sounds good. I might be able to use that info to find something on NARA.

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I kitted up as a LRRP last year at the ripe old age of 16. With face paint on and Xm177E2, 8 grenades, ka-bar and .45 ready no one said anything.

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DRAT!! I see I have the Europen & American ribbons switched.............I think personally it should be as I have it though!

 

Hi "Born to Late", I started this Thread, so I guess I can ask, how old are you? I'm almost 59, still a young boy trapped in an old man's body! :lol:

Your ribbons look okay, but why don't you add an American Defense ribbon to the bottom row, and move the Good Conduct ribbon to the top row. (I never recieved a Good Conduct medal in my three years while serving, guess they had no sense of humor back then).

Your flight gear looks good too, you got a B17 to go with it? (Just kidding ;) )

Last but not least, "Drat"? Last time I heard that was while watching Batman, back in the 60's.

Hang in there, us old boys can have fun too, it ain't over yet!

Pat the D.A.T.

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hey Pat

yeah, I'm a geezer, 64 & counting. I have a friend that got me interested in the WWII uniforms, always wished I had been in a B-17, hence the forum nane.

I started reserecting my old uniforms for reunions & decided to get some old ones fixed up also.

I was AF 1967-71, was in U-Tapao Thailand with the B-52's, but missed the big show. I got out & was back on the farm during Linebacker II.

I'm adding the WWII victory ribbon to this jacket & making another replicating active in theater service with just what a troop would have had at the time including the blue cloth under the wings indicating active combat duty.

I'm enjoying myself & learning how to sew stripes again.. :rolleyes: I talk the wife into some of the easier ones with her machine though.

She still thinks I'm nuts :love: but it keeps me out of the bars!

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