Keeping the Past Alive

I'm fortunate enough to know a group of WWII reenactors.  My Dad was the first to meet them and invite them to use the pine Forest surrounding his house as an area to drill.  Now they affectionately call the property Camp Gerber.  In the time since my Dad's passing I've gotten to know them much better.  Like Dad and myself they have a passion for all things WWII.  They take it a step further by transforming themselves into living history.  They travel around Minnesota and the country educating and participating in many different events.

They have helped my family tremendously by helping to organize and evaluate the items in Dad's collection. The scope of his collection was way beyond our ability to deal with.  They have spent many hours in the basement sorting through box after box giving evaluations on real vs. authentic, valuable vs. common and so on.  Thanks to all their help we have been able to manage the collection and distribute much of its contents to museums and other collectors.  This way Dad's legacy of WWII education and love will continue.  It is wonderful to know that there are items in several museums that were Dad's and are now being enjoyed by as many people as possible.

Next time you are at an airshow or other event where there are reenactors take a moment to stop and say hello.  You'll find that besides being extremely nice people that they have a wealth of knowledge about a wide variety of subjects.  While their reasons for becoming a reenactors are varied they all have a love for history and its continued meaning for us today. 

It is through people like this that I have been fortunate enough to meet veterans that were at some of the most influential points in WWII.  The veterans are fascinating people that lived through incredible events in the nation/world's history.  It is always important to learn about the sacrifices that members of our armed forces have made for the lives that we enjoy.  Next time you see someone in uniform or something else that distinguishes them as military please take a moment to thank them for their service.