NOKESVILLE, Va. -- Volunteers with the Single Marine Program aboard Marine Corps Base Quantico received a unique view of Marine Corps history at the Virginia Museum of Military Vehicles in Nokesville, Va., on Aug 17, 2013. They were treated to the view from the front lines in World War II.
Marines donned period uniforms, including the iconic cotton leggings and M1 “steel pot” helmets provided by the United States Marine Corps Historical Company, a non-profit educational corporation established to support the United States Marine Corps, and Marine Corps Heritage Foundation.
Once the Marines were suited up, they re-enacted an assault on a fixed position complete with an M2 flamethrower and an M4 Sherman tank.
The Historical Company also issued volunteers fully functional World War II-era weapons, including the 1903 Springfield, M1 Garand and M1 Carbine rifles, among others. They fired blank ammunition for the re-enactment.
“Re-enactors are usually non-military, much older than they should be while wearing the uniforms or not in peak physical condition anymore,” said Thomas Williams, director of the Historical Company. “Having active duty Marines volunteer to help, like these guys did, is the best we could ask for.”
According to Williams, having active duty volunteers falls in line with everything the historical company intended for the tactical demonstration.
First, the SMP volunteers fit the demographic of the period they were re-enacting, as the average age of Marines in World War II was 18-25 years old, the same as it is today, said Williams.
Although the volunteers were inexperienced with the weapons they were handling, the “muscle memory from combat training” allowed the Marines to handle them well, Williams said. Despite using technology that was more than 70 years old, they were quick to learn and engage appropriately with those weapons.
The Marines experienced the Corps’ history rather than just read about it, getting a taste of some of the conditions their forefathers fought under, Williams said.
“These demonstrations provide the public a visual reference of the amazing things Marines have done and continue to do in battle,” said Thomas Frezza, logistics support, Historical Company, and an M2 flamethrower operator for the demonstration. “People don’t know the tactics of Marine fire teams, so we’re getting to bring history alive.”
The tactical demonstration is just as much for the volunteers as it is for the audience, because it allows them a unique way to spend their weekends, Frezza said.
“I volunteer because I get to do all sorts of crazy things,” said Cpl. Jon Harris, an active volunteer and a rifleman for the demonstration. “How else would I get a chance to shoot an M1 Garand, or feel the heat ooze off a flamethrower while wearing the uniforms that Marines before me have worn?”
During the demonstration, the Marines ran, dived and low-crawled through tall grass and briar-bushes, while firing their vintage weapons in well-aimed bursts. With each step, they not only moved closer to their objective, but also closer to their own history.
The next living history volunteer event coordinated by the SMP is a trip to Fort McHenry, Md., Sept. 13 – 15.
Anyone interested in volunteering with the Single Marine Program can contact Mrs. Betty Mayfield at 703-432-0363, or visit the Mainside SMP House at Bldg 206 on Neville road.
During the demonstration, the Marines ran, dived and low-crawled through tall grass and briar-bushes, while firing their vintage weapons in well-aimed bursts. With each step, they not only moved closer to their objective, but also closer to their own history.
Correspondent: paris.capers@usmc.mil