Question: I'm
familiar with the civil war clubs but I'd not heard of the American
Revolution being reconstructed. How did you get interested in this?
How authentic do you get?
TOM: AWI re-enacting has been around at least as long as the
Bi-Centennial; if not before. As with all re-enacting, as more/new
information comes along people change. The current emphasis is on
"more authenticity" i.e..: fabrics,clothing styles, camp styles/camplife,
etc.
For the most part, from the time we come into an event site on Friday
until we leave out on Sunday; we are in 18th century mode.
Question: Without a legitimate emergency - do you cook and
live within the time period? How hard is it to be hungry and not be
able to get a fire lit or go to Starbucks in the morning?
TOM: Now,
because of food safety issues etc. we will use coolers to keep food
cold, but they are well 'camouflaged during Public Hours at most
events. My particular unit, Culpeper Minute Battalion of the NWTA ,
will handle cooking differently depending upon the event and those
present. For the most part, all of us will attempt to cook using
methods in place at the time. Part of the current debate among
re-enactors is how much is too much (i.e. type of foods, utensils
etc.). My unit will probably fall somewhere in the middle in this
debate, some of us do like to cook and it is hard for us to go
"Hardcore" with a couple of handfuls of parched corn etc. Some
events, we are all on own for most meals; at others we all
contribute to each meal.
As
far as no Starbucks, at least for those of us in Culpeper's...there
is always at least one of us who fires up a pot for that wondrous
elixir of life at each event ! <VBG> (*Very Big Grin for those
unfamiliar with the computer emoticon)
In addition to my coffee I have
tasked myself with providing a couple of my little buddies with
their hot cocoa while their daddy works on their breakfast.
Question: Are there many of you? Since you live in Indy,
do you have to drive to the "original colonies"?
Tom:
As to traveling back to the colonies, those of us here in the
territories do have our own history and events. Some do indeed make
pilgrimages back to the "holy" sites for various events, but others
of us stay closer to home. I am not the 'history buff' needed to
cite chapter and verse the various sites and battles here in the
Midwest, but George Rodgers Clark did have a significant role in
this area during the AWI. The event here in Indy will draw 2-300 +,
while the annual event at Vincennes will be more in the 1,000's.
Question: How are you assigned roles...like the field
medic..Are you in medicine in your career?
Tom:My own interest in all this began back in 94/95 when assigned as an EMT to provide EMS coverage during the local event here in
Indianapolis. At that event, I met up with the folks from Culpeper
and was fascinated with Chirguien Hill's collection of medical
implements and his presentation. From there it was as if fate/the
gods...whatever brought us together. I have since found out that my
wife's family tree also has branches within the original members of
Culpeper. My persona/alter ego is that of my wife's GGG cousin/uncle Thomas Kerlin of Berks Co.,PA.
I am primarily involved now as a
participant, as the article I sent shows, but as a 12 year Volunteer
Firefighter/EMT (now retired, or is that just TIRED ?) I still am on
the lookout for "REAL" emergencies as well. Trying to figure out how
to properly 'camouflage my 20th Century gear, to keep it handy.
Definitions:
AWI -American War for Independence
NWTA - Northwest Territory Alliance ...- Midwest Organization of AWI
Re-enactors
Update: Tim Mojzik
BILL MOOR, South Bend Tribune: Last Friday, I wrote about
how Tim Mojzik, a popular teacher and assistant coach at South Bend
Jackson and Adams high schools in the 1970s, had been shot to death
by an unknown assailant on March 5. It happened when he was closing
up a Wendy's restaurant that he was managing in the Charlotte, N.C.,
area.
The very day of my article, police officers announced the arrest of
three suspects -- two of them teen-agers -- and charged them with
first-degree murder in the shooting death of the 54-year-old Mojzik.
They were also charged with felony conspiracy to commit armed
robbery.
Two of the suspects also were charged with another armed robbery and
a home invasion from the previous month. A shell casing at the other
robbery scene matched one found at Wendy's and helped lead to the
arrests, according to the Charlotte Observer.
Although the arrests won't bring Tim back, a couple of family
members did say they were pleased with the work of the police and
were touched that many South Bend people remembered Tim in a
positive way.
