The American Legion Post 377 of Clarkston held a fund-raiser this past Saturday which included tents of authentic World War II memorabilia, a flame thrower demonstration and two Normandy battle reenactments.
Proceeds will go to help veterans and their families as well as other community needs the American Legion deals with.
Reenactors of the 101st Airborne A company from around the Midwest staged a reenactment involving their regiment in Clarkston for the first time. Many of the reenactors used authentic equipment and gear.
Onlookers witnessed a staged skirmish between reenactors representing a United States military attack on a German line, complete with blank rounds and several pyrotechnic explosions.
‘We choreography the scenes and see who shows up. There’s a lot of history buffs. Other guys are here because they had relatives in the certain unit and are interested in the war,? reenactor Mike Pihajlic said.
Reefe Renforth, an acquaintance of the American Legion post in Clarkston and associate with the Detroit Chapter of the 82nd Airborne Association worked to coordinate the event with Carl Kithier a former school teacher.
‘The turnout was pretty good, we’re really spread out between the battlefield and tents but there’s a lot of people here. We hope to get bigger with more reenactors and vehicles. This is a great venue,? Kithier said.
Reenactors expressed a multitude of reasons for interest in reenacting. Participants ranged from Gulf War veterans to history enthusiasts.
‘I like the educational part, the history. It’s important for the younger generations to see what their grandfathers went through,? Robert Salcedo of Flatrock said.
‘My father was into historic things and served in the Korean War, that sparked my interest in the military and reenactment,? Paul Ignagni of Grosse Pointe said.
The event also included the presence of several well-known Michigan veterans. Visitors interacted with veterans like Don Brigett and George Koskimaki, both members of the 101st Airborne Division at Normandy and published authors about World War II.
Brigett dressed in replicas of his combat gear, shared stories with visitors curious to his experience in the war.
‘We had to crawl on our hands and knees, we could hear them (the Germans) talking. The order to fix bayonets came and we were about to go over the top. That’s a command no one wants to hear,? Brigett said.
Brigett also commented on the portrayal of the Normandy experience in the recent HBO hit Band of Brothers.
‘We appreciate the portrayals as long as they are factual. It helps keep history alive. Band of Brothers is not all factual, it’s a good cross-section of what happened. There’s a lot of little things wrong we can notice that one company could not have possibly done, but it portrays the paratrooper’s experience pretty well as a whole,? Brigett said.