|
Club News: The results are in! The Bulletin launched its first membership poll last newsletter, and the results have been tallied below, along with a number of your comments. Thanks for the input, let's keep the ball rolling with good input and civil discourse. |
Membership Poll
Authenticity in the NWHA
In March the Bulletin launched the first club poll on the initiative of the club President. The goal was to elicit more feedback from the membership, to help guide the club in questions that affect all of us. Our first poll focused on what may very well be the most important issue in reenacting, that of how to balance the historical requirements we all feel for authenticity against the realities of how we view our modern world with our values of inclusion and equality.In the last bulletin we posted four questions for the consideration of the membership, and posted the polls on the club group forum as well. Here's what the membership said:Can gender be considered a valid test of authenticity for a person's impression?
Yes: 15 votes (83.33%) No: 3 votes (16.67%)Can race be considered a valid test of authenticity for a person's impression?
Yes: 11 votes (61.11%) No: 7 votes (38.89%)Can physical fitness be considered a valid test of authenticity for a person's impression?
Yes: 15 votes (78.95%) No: 4 votes (21.05%)Can age be considered a valid test of authenticity for a person's impression?
Yes: 9 votes (47.37%) No: 10 votes (52.63%)It should be noted that the response rate is only 15% of the total membership, so it would be over-stepping to draw too strong of a conclusion from the numbers. However, one can see that two of the questions received a fairly balanced response, and two received a very lop-sided one. The respondents indicate a split on the question of whether race or age is a valid test of authenticity, whereas the same group felt that both gender and physical fitness are valid tests.Age is the only question that received more No votes than Yes votes, and this would match well against the historical reality of WWII. The average age of soldiers in WWII was vastly different than our modern forces, and men well into their 30's and 40's served in all theatres in significant numbers.Physical fitness was considered a valid test, with several comments indicating that it is a part of oneself that can perhaps be corrected, and therefore is a choice rather than an unchangeable part of a person.The unusual voting trend was with race and gender. Both would seem to be aspects of person that are not changeable, and therefore should not be considered as a factor is a person's choice of impression. The vote could therefore have been expected to be the same for both.It may be the here in the States there is a heightened historical awareness with the dangers of racism, and the poll reflects our culture's instinctive rejection of limiting a person based on skin color. The opposite view in regards to gender may perhaps be due to a carry-over from Civil War reenacting communities, which involve women to a far larger degree than WWII reenacting has.We asked for your comments as well as just the polls, and the response was good. Following are five perspectives on the issues we face. Please email in your responses to this article, we would like to publish your comments on an ongoing basis.
Max I.
Gender should not be considered an issue so long as a woman can portray a man for historical accuracy. This is rather difficult if long hair is exposed from the helmet, field cap etc. The body shape which a woman possess is also an issue due to the fact that it can become a give away of their sex. When there were no women in a particular army, no visible woman should be seen. By this, I mean that a woman should conceal her sex by cutting her hair, wearing baggy uniforms etc.Race is a rather difficult issue to tackle. All armies during the Second World War were considered racist by today's standards especially the Germans. However, we should not follow the extreme and wrong beliefs of that time. Just because someone is black or Asian should not mean that they cannot reenact. To disallow them to actively participate in the NWHA would mean that we have reverted to the wrong doings of the past. Are the German units to screen everyone for Jewish blood? This is completely absurd and thus should not be tolerated. Just as with women, those who are of races that are not historically accurate for their impressions should do their best to screen out this inaccuracy with either makeup or camo.Physical Fitness is an issue which should be taken very seriously. People who are not able to meet basic physical health requirements should not be allowed to reenact due to the fact that they are posing a hazard to themselves and the NWHA as a whole. Reenacting is a hobby which is much more physically exhausting than a game of golf or lawn bowling. We reenact war and thus, we did not see extremely out of shape persons on the front. The reason for this is because they would slow down and even endanger the squad. Troops such as Paras, Fallschirms, Waffen SS who struggled to maintain their elite status throughout the war had very high physical fitness standards not for the sake of being a bigots or hatemonger. They had these standards because they had to fight in extreme conditions. There is photographic evidence of East Indians fighting in the SS, Asians in the WH, etc. however, one has never seen a photo of a para or fallschirmjager who weighs more than the capacity of their parachute. Physical Fitness is very important not only to the hobby of reenacting but that of everyday life. If weight is an issue, adopt a healthier lifestyle to correct the historical inaccuracy. Those who are overweight have it easy as they have the choice to correct their inaccuracy. Those who are of indifferent genders or races can do little to remedy their inaccuracy.
Manda L.
Historical authenticity needs to be one of the major goals of this hobby. We do it to teach others and ourselves what really happened beyond the dry, sanitized accounts of our schools' history books. The reality, however, is that we live in a country that has evolved in the last sixty years. We, and a good number of the public who attend our events, did not grow up in the society that took discrimination as a matter of fact. But it's important that we portray what was accurate instead of what we WISH had been true. Teaching about the segregation of the troops or the smear campaign against the WAACs not only shows how far our country has come, it also honors the individuals who served their country under more difficult circumstances than the average soldier.Originally, I had no intention of studying women's roles in World War II. It wasn't a subject that interested me as much as, say, Market Garden. It was soon obvious, however, that if I wanted to become a part of this hobby, I would have to accept that I would be limited in what I could portray. As a "modern" female, it was infuriating; I'm not used to be told "no" simply because I'm a girl. But in a way, the opposition added to my understanding of what it must have been like to be one of the first females in uniform, and that can only add to my overall impression.Is there an added burden on me to have a flawless impression? Absolutely, no question about it. There's no way to make an overall judgment about the club's sentiments; some people have been friendly, others have made it clear they'd like me to drop off the face of the earth. (You can't please everyone!) But I know that if my impression is inaccurate, it will only help justify the opinions of those that don't want me involved. In addition, it seems that I have to repeatedly prove I have no hidden agendas, I'm not just out looking for a man, and I have no desire to "civilize" the members. (That would take half the fun away!) On the up side, I've learned how to comfortably sleep out in the rain without a tent, how to stalk my German/Italian friends, and how to get a concussion from a wayward rifle without shedding a tear.I've done all this because I want to be as accurate as possible. But I don't want to be told I'm wearing the wrong shade of lipstick by a reenactor in a polyester uniform. Only those who meet the high authenticity standards of the NWHA have the right to criticize others. If we, as a club, really intend to honor the veterans with our accuracy, we have to do it across the board. It is nothing less than blatant hypocrisy to single out reenactors based on race and gender, but allow others in despite their age and/or physical fitness.
Bob H.
Do the members of the NWHA value historical accuracy in the impressions represented by the units of our club? A look through the ranks at an event morning line-up provides a straightforward answer. In general, members show their level of concern for historical accuracy through the amount of money that they have committed to this hobby. It is not easy or inexpensive to collect the items that go into the impressions that the members of the club have put together, therefore it must be important.This attention to detail is a part of the appeal of the club. The units represented in the club are an extension of that level of detail. The units can appropriately place in the field troops and equipment that is appropriate to the unit. It would be absurd to have a German Panzer unit in the club if they did not have any of the vehicles associated with a Panzer unit.Would it be absurd to have a female sniper in the club? We do in the Russian unit, and from a historically accurate standpoint that is correct. This is a detail that adds to the richness of the club. What if that woman wanted to be a sniper in Western front events? There is room for that in the context of a partisan or SOE unit. Such a unit only needs to be formed and apply for unit status within the club. Were there to be a female sniper in 101st Airborne, while not historically accurate it also detracts from the club's attention to detail. If we were to have a female sniper in the 101st Airborne, what is there to prevent a German hospital unit from forming in which all of the female nurses are actually males dressed in historically accurate female nurse uniforms?What about race? Commonwealth units were integrated. American units were not completely integrated, the African American and Japanese segregation being the most notable examples. German units did have Asian troops in them. Where does that leave us? We have units available for all re-enactors, and there exists the opportunity to form other units that are historically accurate from a race perspective.Physical fitness and age as tests of an impression; Certainly, war favors the young and the fit. Does being fit add to the level of detail in the club, certainly it does (it also makes it easier to do those soldier-like activities of marching, running, climbing, etc…), but not all soldiers are fit nor were all soldiers in the field free of injury. Is there a limit? Yes, re-enacting is a physically demanding hobby. Does being between the ages of 18 and 25 add to the level of detail? It does, as soldiers are typically young, but this war drew from a variety of ages and they are all represented within the ranks of our club. Our distribution of ages is skewed toward an older age, but it is not implausible that anyone of us could have been a combatant during WWII.Historical accuracy of our impressions is important, and there is room for most in our club based on the historical facts. Moving away from what is reasonable and plausible from a historical perspective opens us up to the absurd without a grounding to stop us from heading there. It's the details that make this club interesting and fun without the details it's just a bunch of weird guys running around the woods.
Tony S.
Many of us as NWHA members have members of our family who have served our country in WW2. For some of these family members that meant fighting on two fronts. Not only did they serve their country during wartime but they also had to fight for the right to do so.My great-aunt, Francis S. served her country as a "WASP" (Womens Airforce Service Pilot). She graduated in class 44-W-4 and flew many of the aircraft used by the USAAF including the B-17. The history of the WASP's includes the government denying them veterans' benefits and sending them home before WW2 ended without so much as a thank you. Her struggle and the discrimination she had to endure is a part of our history and I would be offended if anyone would want to change that by portraying the WASP in an inaccurate way.Our country's discrimination is part of our history and only by educating the public of today about their struggles and reminding people of what people had to endure do we ensure that it won't be repeated. Many of you know Larry J., a member of the Brit Paras, who is a honorary member of the Tuskegee airmen (an honor not bestowed lightly) due in large part to his continuing efforts to educate the public about the African-American service man and particularly the Tuskegee Airmen. He related an experience to me that I think illustrates this point well.He was at an airshow with several other AAF living historians. A photographer wanted to get some "period photos" with the group, specifically he wanted Larry to be in the cockpit with another person (who was white) who was portraying a mechanic helping him. Larry declined the request. When pressed by the photographer as to why he would not do that, Larry explained that all of the mechanics for the Tuskegee airmen were black. Having a white mechanic servicing/helping a black pilot would not have happened and was inaccurate.If that photo had been taken the history of the Tuskegee airmen and the discrimination and segregation they endured would have been insulted and rewritten. The issue of race and gender discrimination is a touchy issue, especially when we are reminded of our countries checkered past. By reminding and educating people about these injustices we honor the memory of those who had to endure it.
David M.
Well, I guess maybe I was a little naive at first. But I started reenacting a few years ago when I was 16. I thought things would get better, that you know, it was just a matter of getting to know people. But I've personally had some problems with reenacting, and I think it's just basically that I'm different physically, that I'm young and in good shape.Like, they totally set me up for failure. They always put me on point during patrols, and then when I die of course the lieutenant yells at me and says I'm letting the team down. And so someone will say, "Maybe if you weren't so far ahead we could support each other better." But I mean, how is it my fault that one of the guys has Type II diabetes and another guy has to stop every ten minutes to apply like vapor rub or whatever. We're supposed to be paratroopers right. So I don't really want to judge, but I'm not sure they carried packets of menthol creme around.But it seems like it's mostly social, finding little ways to kind of exclude me. They're always offering me beers, you know, which I can't have of course, and then saying real loud, "Oh yeah, you can't drink beer yet can you?" And then they all laugh. Ha ha. Yeah, that's real original. Cause I so wish I could be 40 years old and still getting stupid drunk.This one guy is the worst. He just got back from Normandy from the big anniversary, and so now he's like a real war hero or something, and he has to steer every conversation around to how, "He was there at the real beaches." Whatever, it's so obvious he put on about thirty pounds from drinking so much beer, so the shirtless lectures on how "powerful and moving" it was are kind of lame.And at night in the barracks, when people are just talking, it always seems to come around to things like 401Ks, Atkins and Levitra. It's like their little code, their way of marginalizing me. The last event was really bad. They were talking about the new look of the $50 dollar bills, and this one guy turns to me to ask what I think about it, and of course they all laugh, you know, because whatever, I work part-time in the service industry so they can just mock me I guess. Yeah, that's real cool, thanks.
