Tuesday, May 21, 2013

Armed Forces Day 2013

The men of the 2nd I.D. Living History Association gathered at Cabela's La Vista to celebrate Armed Forces Day on Saturday, May 18.  Our display was positioned right outside the front doors of the store so we had a steady stream of visitors all day long.  There were several Jeeps and armored vehicles on display positioned around our area.  For this event I represented a trooper from the 101st Airborne in Vietnam from 1968.  I have been growing my Vietnam collection for quite a while so this was the first time out for a number of my newer items.  But as cool as I looked in my jungle fatigues, it was Will and his typewriter and newspapers that caught the attention of the crowds as the old drill sergeant worked at his field desk.  The weather was great for an outdoor display and we all enjoyed Cabela's warm hospitality.

My first time out with the new rifle.
The highlight of the day was Will reading us the latest war news.
A pretty nice World War II jeep on display.
Looks like an M38 Jeep from the 34th "Red Bull" Division.
Spectators checking out some armored vehicles.
Manning my Vietnam War display and answering questions.
Hazard and Dave shooting the breeze.
Standard web gear worn by U.S. Army personel in Vietnam.
New for this display were my M18 smoke grenades and C-rations.
Some of my Marine Corps items. The M1955 Flak Vest is a recent find.
That's a whole lotta gear!!!
Will typing a love letter on his typewriter.  Who needs computers?
Jeff in his MP impression for the day.  Khakis are the way to go!
A full shot of my new jungle fatigues.
I treated this one like an old photo from the 60's.  Looking pretty serious.