Event Photos Vietnam Revisited | VIETNAM Revisited |
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VIETNAM Revisited 2011 Scroll to the bottom page for links to videos and face book pages During the week of VIETNAM Revisited 2011, a huge dome of hot, humid air setttled over a large area of the country including the mountains of Central Pennsylvania. It was hot! Really hot. And humid. It was the perfect weather to present a time-capsule experience of the Vietnam War circa 1968-69. The reenactors and visiting public trudged around as if in a daze. A new element for this year was the addition of a "roadside stand" selling water and Coke-a-Cola manned by our indigenous personnel, Tara, Maya and Marissa Mondock. The Cokes and water were very popular.
Specialist Pete Michel talks with museum educator Joe Horvath during a noon downpour on Sunday.
Photo credit: Jillian Decker
Roadside refreshment stand manned by the Mondock's. One "customer" complained that they couldn't read Vietnamese. A look under the towel would reveal the products. Photo Credit: Jillian Decker
Mama-san Mondock with child. Photo Credit: Jillian Decker
PFC Scott Beal, PFC "Big Bob" Shemory and Major Horvath share a moment with a vet. Photo Credit: Jillian Decker
Bruce Michel mans the medical tent. Most of the equipment on display, including Bruce, are from the era.
Photo Credit: Jillian Decker
John Wagner, Sr. and Alan Beckwith demonstrate the LAWs rocket launcher.
Photo Credit: Jillian Decker
The 1300 ambush demo patrol coordinates the tactical plan. Photo Credit; Jillian Decker
Pete Michel and Joel Pannebaker, dressed as a USAF forward air controller, discuss the coordination of the radio traffic for the upcoming patrol ambush demonstration . Photo Credit Jillian Decker
Conducting a public demonstration of a tactical battle reenactment is quite easy for 18th and 19th century reenactors. The Napoleonic tactics used during the Revolutionary and Civil Wars were designed for an audience sitting beside the battlefield. Tactics changed as the weapons improved and by the mid 1960's American soldiers found themselves in an environment much different than anything they ever faced. The question faced by living historians and professional institutions: How to respectfully interpret modern combat for a public audience in a safe manner without seeming fake or far fetched? Just as the Vietnam War was a remote and isolating experience, so to is the public demonstration of combat. Visitors experience the patrol action by listening to the radio communication traffic between the squad leader and firebase as well as see and hear the firefight in the distance through the dense forest underbrush.
The combat patrol moves out from the firebase along the same "trail" traveled by the public. A series of booby-traps and pitfalls with "the enemy" running circles around the civilian "patols" educated the public throughout the day.
Photo Credit Jillian Decker
Ambush demonstrations were conducted twice each day - 1300 and 1500. Time and space were condensed so that all action taking place is within 200 meters of the base camp audience and is concluded in 15 minutes.  Pete Michel and John Wagner react to an ambush left situation while Scott Beal calls in a SITREP.
Photo Credit: Jillian Decker
Pete Michel unloads a clip in the direction of the enemy during the tactical ambush demo. Visitors back at the firebase are instructed in listening for the different sounds each weapon makes so that soldiers can distinguish between enemy and friendly in the dense underbrush..
Photo Credit: Jillian Decker (The photographer took many shots to get this perfect photo of a muzzle blast.)
The short rain on Sunday was a welcome event. Photo Credit: Jillian Decker
Please visit the links below for a video example of the ambush demonstrations as well as our brand new face book page!
for several dozen more photos of the 2011 bivouac
Visit http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7XTp5YC9QkY for the 2010 patrol in the sun
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| Last Updated ( Thursday, 05 January 2012 ) |
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Upcoming events at the Museum: January 28 - Cabin Fever Film Series, "When Trumpets Fade", February 25 - Cabin Fever Film Series, "Go Tell the Spartans". See the Events listing for more information.
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The next talk in the Speaker Series is on Wednesday, February 1, 2012 at 7:30pm. (Note schedule change to the first Wednesday of every month.) See Speaker Series for more information.
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