Spring Muster Day 2013

The Men of the 2nd Infantry Division Living History Association gathered at Ft. Atkinson State Historical Park on Saturday, April 6 for our annual Spring Muster Day.  In attendance were Dave, Jeff, Eric, Kevin, Tyler, Avery (our newest member) and our pal Casey on loan from the 502nd Parachute Infantry.  The weather was overcast for most of the morning and rather cool with some light rain off and on.  Up at the fort's parade ground we covered everything from facings, marching and saluting to rifle drill and the manual of arms.  After a little administrative meeting, we headed down into the valley east of the fort for some field training.  We went over field formations, use of hand signals, and how to tackle linear obstacles.  It was a awesome day and a great chance to get out and knock some of the winter rust off.  Our group has a pretty exciting spring and summer itinerary lined up so watch for more posts to come.

The guys hanging out along the north wall of the fort.

Kevin gives some helpful instruction on dealing with linear obstacles.

Where's Casey?  Between the tall grasses and the trees, a soldier can be
pretty hard to spot sometimes.

Jeff on the lookout for any Krauts in the area.

Another self portrait from arms length away.  Guess I should have smiled!

One little, two little, three little Indianheads...

So awesome to get out in the field!

Our group after our field training.  Ready to march back up to the fort. 

Battle of the Bulge 2013

Will Green and I headed down to Camp Clark, Missouri for everyone's favorite winter reenactment, the Battle of the Bulge!  We got down to the event site on Friday night, checked-in and then headed off to the traditionally meal before battle day... Subway.  The battle on Saturday was great with temperatures in the 50s.  We were pulling off layers all day long, so my giant puffy pockets filled with shirts and gloves and scarves made me look like a historical parade float.  Will and I dressed in our Class A uniforms for the Saturday night dinner where we received a lot of great compliments on our classiness.  We headed back to Omaha before sunrise on Sunday morning.  There are some great event pictures here.  I took about 65 photos, so narrowing it down was a little difficult.  I opted to show some in full color but to do some as black and whites as well.  My favorite photo is the second one from the end with the foreground soldier holding a cigarette and the soldiers chatting in the background.  Be sure to click on the photos to see them at a larger size.

Guadalcanal 70th Anniversary

August 7, 2012 marks the 70th Anniversary of the beginning of the Battle for Guadalcanal.  It was on August 7, 1942 that the 1st Marine Division began landing on Guadalcanal and Tulagi in the Solomon Islands.  It was the first major offensive by American ground forces against the Empire of Japan taking place exactly eight months after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor.  In honor of the Marines' heroic actions on Guadalcanal, last Saturday I arranged a little photo shoot in the rather tropical backyard of our friends, Michael and Angie Schalbrack.  Dressed in my best 1942 Marine Corps impression, I took some great photos of what an early-war Marine would typically look like.  The only inaccuracies with my impression are that I should be wearing a Hawley helmet liner with an open buckle leather chin strap, and I should probably be carrying a M1903 Springfield instead of my M-1 Garand.  But since I have neither, I did the best with what I had available.  Enjoy the photos and Semper Fi, Marines!!!

Independence Day Parade 2012

The men of the 2nd I.D. Living History Association gathered for the 52nd Annual Ralston Independence Day Parade on Wednesday.  In attendance were Dave, Steve, Eric, Jeff, Erik and his brother Dave.  Erik unveiled his new jeep for the parade which was pretty cool to see.  The uniform of the day was HBTs as the temperatures were hitting highs around 100 degrees!!!  It was the hottest parade any of us could recall marching in.  But as always, it was great to get out, wear the gear and see the guys.  Happy Birthday, America!

Memorial Day Tribute

So Memorial Day is upon us and I have finished my Vietnam M16A1 rifle project just in time to honor all of those who gave everything so that we could be here today. An awful lot of time and research and money went into the making of this tribute to our Vietnam infantrymen.  I'd like to thank the folks at Nodak Spud, Fulton Armory, US Collectors Ordnance, Apex Gun Parts, Green Mountain Rifle Barrel Company, Orion Arms, Gun Broker, Schluder Shots, Jarrell Sharp, my friend Kirk Gustafson, and the guys at Carl Jarl gunsmithing here in Omaha.  I picked the rifle up on Wednesday after the assembly was complete.  I am very happy with the final results.  This rifle is something that I am very proud of putting together and a piece that I will use in displays and to honor our veterans for years to come.  And now, some photos of the finished rifle taken in my backyard on a canvas shelter half.