I've never really been for or against military re-enactments. As hobbies go, if it's one you enjoy, I say go for it! But I found these insights to be pretty compelling:
Don't get me wrong. I love Civil War re-enactments. A few thousand guys -- fellow history fanatics -- camping out on a summer weekend, with horses, explosions, cool uniforms and antique gear, marching and charging, noise, gunpowder, celebrating the minutiae and deeper meanings of iconic events -- all the good things about a war, and nobody gets hurt (except the occasional horse bite, twisted ankle, bad food reaction, or heat stress).
Can you imagine a better sign that two once-enemy peoples have buried the hatchet than being able to re-enact an old battle for the sheer fascination with history, legacy, and friendships? Imagine a world, for instance, where some day Israelis and Egyptians might stage annual re-eactments of the Suez Canal crossings of the 1973 Yom Kippur War (Imagine the great gear for that!), then trade memorabilia and drink beers together over a campfire. Then you'd know that true peace had really come to the Middle East.
Also, is there a better way to learn history than to actually live it?
Read the whole article here.
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