Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Are you encouraging boys to play games?
A: Serious reenacting is both recreational and educational. As a recreational activity, it is suppose to be fun. It gets you outside and gets you exercised. It is not, however, an age segregated activity and rather than separate a family, it can facilitate brotherly bonding and substantive father-son interactions.
We are, however, not advocating simply a recreational activity. When done correctly, reenacting provides a dimension of experiential education that brings history alive. We advocate a careful study of military history. We do not approve of running around in the woods like a wild person for hours on end. The goal is to learn about what soldiers of the past experienced and to do that you have to be serious.
There are many activities that encourage manly culture. Remembering American warriors of the past is but one sort of activity. Of course it should be done in proper proportion to other more important priorities and tasks. If anything, remembering brave men and important battles of the past should inspire one to be a harder worker.
Q: Does this stuff lead to the Marine Corps recruiting station?
A: Not necessarily. None of us are in the Marines and we aren’t planning on it. We have our reasons for not joining up and you may have yours. The study of military history and the experience of men in battle has applicability to things other than joining the current military when you hit 18. That is not to say that we have anything against those who do join the military (it can be a great thing). We just think that what we are communicating, and joining the military, are separate issues for your family to think about.
Q: How is what you do different from the big Civil War reenactments we have seen?
A: There is a big difference. We like to call that stuff “real” reenacting and it requires totally “authentic” uniforms and equipment. For most young people and for many families, the price tag is prohibitive. We don’t think that should be a problem. In fact, we would rather see an emphasis on getting dirty and braving the elements than fussing over materials and stuff. Also, our mission is to provide ideas for father and son interaction on their own land or in the neighbor’s woods. Going to those big events takes time and in many cases, it would be best not to be around the people there. So just get the ladies to sew some stuff or take a trip to the army/navy store. A big part of this website is providing a guide for how to make that kind of stuff work.
Of course, if you have the “authentic” stuff and you do go to the big events – great! We do that sometimes too. The point is, just do this kind of thing at whatever level works for you.
Q: We don’t let our boys pretend to be shooting each other – how does that affect things?
A: We don’t like shooting at each other either. In fact, most of what we do doesn’t involve mock battles. We go for a march, sit in the holes and watch the line, or go patrolling etc. They might also practice their drill and tactics. The point is, soldiering involves more training and other “dull” activities, so your sons can be soldiers without shooting at each other.
Keep in mind, that militaries have always had their soldiers participate in mock battles, in order to train the men in small unit tactics. Maybe your sons can be reenacting that training rather than pretending to “shoot the Germans” when they are pointing at each other.
Q: Are the books and movies you recommend good things?
A: We have enjoyed the books and films we recommend. You should, however, never just take a recommendation on its own. Figure out for yourself what will or will not be acceptable for your family. The newer films are usually censored by a special DVD player and the oldest in the squad usually censors the books (with a ball point pen) before they are read by the younger troops. If you have a total aversion to violence, then war probably isn’t a good subject for you to explore. Just keep that in mind. Hopefully someday, we will get some really good Christian war films void of the foul language and other stuff. It doesn’t have to be that way.