WW2 US Army Air Force Reenactors/ Living History Groups Preserving history through private collections and displays... Raiders' official website: www.doolittletokyoraiders.com, Todd Joyce's website: www.doolittleraider.com check out the Doolittle Raider Forum, too. |
Home Page The B-25 Mitchell The USS Hornet The Crews Other People Raiders Reunion Pages Raiders Still Living Related Models Places to Visit Research and News The Raider Books Page Website Information and Contact Page Webmaster's Corner USAAF Reenactors Page - Reenactors/ Living History - Pictures - Links - Why Reenacting? - Scheduling a Reenactor Links |
USAAF Living History
Group/Reenactors Page
The webmaster is a (inactive) member of the Army Air Forces Reenactors List, a group of reenactors that portray AAF crew or enlisted members at airshows and other events. Members work as authentically as possible often with original or reproduction gear and equipment. There are a fairly large number of military reenactors of various types around the country, but at this time, the AAF contingent is a bit smaller. This is partly due to the fact that many AAF reenactors are not into this for mock battles and such, but enjoy telling the history behind the aircraft, honoring the heroism of our forefathers, and being around the aircraft and giving a clearer historical setting for what is being displayed. The above picture was taken at the 2003 Doolittle Raiders Reunion in Vacaville. There were approximately 15-20 AAF reenactors there along with 3 B-25s. This picture shows some of the variation in styles worn by various reenactors portraying various units in different theaters during WW2. Some reenactors are scheduled to be at the Mediterranean Assault event in San Antonio, TX on Dec. 7-8 at Cannon Field. This event is being hosted by the Alamo Liaison Squadron (link below). Below are pictures of AAF reenactors at various events. Put your mouse over the picture to see a description and click to view a larger version. Links to other AAF reenactors' websites. http://www.freewebs.com/usaaf/page1.html http://ww2reenactors.proboards20.com/index.cgi?board=aircorps http://www.327th.org/Living%20History.htm http://groups.yahoo.com/group/AAFRL/ http://www.ww2aaf.org/members/members.html More to come... There are almost as many motives for participating in reenactments as there are reenactors! However, most of the reenactors the webmaster has been associated with do it mostly out of a great interest in history and historical figures and a desire to pass that history (and attitude towards history) on to the next generation. Many children today do not even know basic World War 2 history, and it never ceases to amaze us the questions we get asked. One other reason for reenacting is simply to honor the veterans who served. Amongst the groups I've worked with there can be few greater honors than for a veteran to say "thank you for keeping the interest in our history alive," "You look like you stepped right out of our squadron," or "Hey, are you sure that's not my old jacket?" We strive for excellence in decent, honest portrayal of the men who fought and died for our country. The webmasters personal involvement with World War 2 US Army Air Force reenactment was a result of research he had done on the Doolittle Raid and the 34th Bomb Squadron in particular. The webmaster got to know Mr. DeShazer from the crew of plane # 16 and thought that portraying a member of the 34th Bomb Squadron would give him more opportunities to speak and tell others about his story and testimony for Jesus Christ and the resulting story with Mitsou Fuchida (it has). Reenactments also give one an even greater appreciation for what the guys actually went through and what it must have been like. How might I get some reenactors for my event? Contact the webmaster at doolittleraiders@yahoo.com and I will forward you're request to the AAFRL (it's a moderated list so you have to be a member to post messages) or contact another of the groups listed on this page. We can't always make events that we'd like to, but if there are any USAAF reenactors in your area, we'll try to get you in touch with them. |
Raiders' official website: www.doolittletokyoraiders.com, Todd Joyce's website: www.doolittleraider.com check out his Forum, too. All
images and text are © 2007 by the webmaster. All rights reserved. All
opinions expressed are the webmasters own and do not reflect the
endorsement or rejection of the Doolittle Raiders. If you are interested
in using information on any of these pages please email the webmaster
first. Some of the content I have here is from personal interviews and
research. Some of it is from the public record and is available to others
through books, documents, and libraries. |