Here are the dates for next Summer's Reenactment event:
June 17 -18 - 19, 2022
Our Theme is
WOMEN: We, Too, Gave Our All.
A Tribute to women on the Homefront and in the Military.
What we did in 2021
KOREA: The Forgotten War, sponsored by Lest We Forget will take place on June 18 - 20, 2021 at 275 Upton Drive, St. Joseph, Michigan. We are excited to bring in a traveling replica of the Korean Memorial that graces the National Mall in Washington D.C. Visitors are welcome to visit the display starting Friday evening and through the night continuing until closing time Sunday afternoon at 3:00 p.m.
Opening ceremonies begin Saturday morning at 9:00 a.m.
In keeping with the Korean theme, Twin City Players will put on a performance from M*A*S*H on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. with a repeat show at 4:00 p.m. The1970 movie and later TV program depicted the 4077 Mobile Army Surgical Unit in Uijeongbu, South Korea during the Korean War. With memorable characters and much humor this presentation is a little more irrelevant than the typical Lest We Forget fare but approaches some aspects of military life from the soldier’s perspective. Enjoy a light hearted “Blast from the Past” with these TCP actors.
Corporal "Radar" Reilly- Bob Myers,
Captain "Hawkeye" Pierce - Scott Bradford,
Captain "Duke" Forrest - Bill Downey,
Captain "Trapper John" McIntyre - Jacob Holmes,
Captain "Walt" Waldowski - Kevin Russell,
Captain Frank Burns - Jim Richards,
Lt. Colonel Henry Blake - Lloyd Bolick,
Captain "Ugly" Black - Allen Pille,
Father John Patrick Mulcahy - Gene Weil,
Private Boone - Bill Klein,
Ho Jon - Matthew Tan,
Major "Hot Lips" Houlihan - Maureen Bradford,
Lt. Janice Fury - Beth DeCoursey,
Lt. Nancy Phillips- Candace Seymour-Myers,
Lt. Bridget McCarthy- Peggy Harrington.
At 3:00 p.m. Saturday Dr. Henry Seo, a resident of Berrien Springs, along with Dr. Young Sok Kim, the Consulate General of the Republic of Korea in Chicago, will recognize our veterans who served in Korea and will also present a program on Korean Culture and Music. Dr. Seo taught Korean Language in the Buchanan High School system for 22 years and has led student groups on educational tours of South Korea. He currently teaches in the Berrien Springs School system.
In addition to these presentations there will be several displays. The USS Silversides (Ss-236), a Gato-class submarine, was one of the most successful submarines in the Pacific Theater of World War II, with 23 confirmed sinkings. The Silversides received a Presidential Unit Citation for cumulative action over four patrols and twelve battle stars. She presently serves as a museum ship in Muskegon, Michigan and is a National Historic Landmark. The USS LST 393 is an LST-1-class tank landing ship built for the United States Navy during World War II. Of 1,051 built this LST is one of only two to survive in its original configuration. She is now a museum ship in Muskegon. The USS Edson, a Forrest Sherman-class destroyer, served in the Western Pacific/Far East, operating particularly in the Taiwan Strait and off the coast of Vietnam. Her exceptionally meritorious service in 1964 in the Gulf of Tonkin was recognized with the first of three Navy Unit Commendations. During the following years she was shelled by North Vietnamese land forces and apparently received friendly fire from the US Air Force. She is now a museum ship docked in Bay City, Michigan.
Master modeler, Jerry Lindquist, has military artifacts and several base camp dioramas with thousands of painted green chiclets for sand bags depicting military scenes from World War I through Desert Storm. His displays range from 6-by-6 inches, showing a six-barrel recoilless rifle used in Vietnam, to 35 by 55 inches. He will be displaying a dozen or more of his meticulously made scale models of combat scenes usually made in 1/35th model scale. Jerry has been doing this for over 30 years and says, “It is my honor to do this for all veterans...I do this to remember and honor those who have given so much.”
A Field Service for all faiths will begin at 9:00 a.m. Sunday and at noon Jerry Sawatzki, a retired teacher from the Eau Claire school system with a Master's Degree in history from Notre Dame will provide an interesting review of the history of the Korean War, its root causes and major events that people of all ages will enjoy.
At 1:00 p.m. historian Bill Sheets will talk more on Korea and the U.S. involvement. He will also narrate the five scheduled reenactment battles including the use of a flamethrower. The Spirit of America Flag designer Dale Hemphill, Armed Services Recruiters, the Red Cross and more will be on site.
5th Armored and 20th Century at War Military Mobile Interactive Museum have a large hands-on collection that can be viewed. Visitors will be impressed by the precision and accuracy of all items which will include vehicles, uniforms, weapons and gear from the last 100 years or our military history. All displays will be available all day Saturday and Sunday until 3:00 p.m.
Returning this year are three World War II and Korean War landing craft that have been restored and are available for the public to ride. One is an LTV “Water Buffalo'' that is a dual track amphibious vehicle. The 2nd is a 2-1/2 ton amphibious wheeled truck called a Dukw or “Duck” and 3rd is a Higgins boat, most often associated with the D-Day landings at Normandy in World War II. Take a free ride in these treasures of the past in the St. Joseph River. Also giving rides are two Robinson helicopters, one is a single passenger and the other can take three passengers. The fee to ride a helicopter is $40 per person.
Hot Rocks Rolling Stones Tribute Band, based In Chicago, has been performing as Hot Rocks since 1994.
Officially selected to represent the Midwest by The Rolling Stones, Paramount Pictures and Martin Scorsese, Hot Rocks is more than a tribute, it is a theater-like show for all ages. Bring a lawn chair for this open air, free concert starting at 7:00 Saturday evening. Position your chair prior to the concert and move down to the battle area at 6:30 p.m. where the 2nd Marine Reenactors from Chicago will attack a North Korean machine gun position using weapons of the World War II and Korean era. They will be joined by Charlie Hobson with his flamethrower. Mr. Hobson is the author of “The Illustrated Manual of US WWII Flamethrowers”. He is currently the only accepted source for training, testing and certifying WWII Flamethrowers. He has trained over 900 operators for over 4000 firings. This is the third of five battles scheduled Saturday and Sunday.
Food vendors will be available. A sales table will offer books, T-shirts and other items of interest.
Attendees are encouraged to join Lest We Forget on site. One year membership dues are $10. Lifetime membership is $50. Under 40 and over 80 years old is free. You do not have to be a veteran to become a member of LWF. Membership meetings are held the first Wednesday of each month at the Southwest Michigan Regional Airport starting at 10:00 a.m. with coffee and donuts at 9:30.
New: Book Number 5
Now Published and available! $25.00
This is the 5th book of a series that began in 2008 dedicated to preserving the memories and stories of those who served. It is not meant to glorify war in any way shape or form. Rather, it is designed to document the service memories of “Citizen Soldiers” that have a strong connection to the Southwestern Michigan area. These are stories of regular people that may be your neighbors, pass you on the street, sit next to you at church or may be a relative. These stories are about men and women that gave a portion of their lives in service so that you and your descendants could enjoy the fruits of freedom in this great country. We believe that you will find their stories interesting, compelling, inspiring, thought provoking, humble and honest. They provide an insight into the world of our military that one cannot find in history books. These stories provide a rich look into the minds, hearts, experiences and feelings of an American veteran.
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