Vietnam War Re-enactors in Jolly Old England:
When I first heard about Vietnam War re-enactors in England, I have to admit I was astounded. As a member of Charlie Company 1st Battalion, 12th Regiment, First Cavalry Division (just an airmobile “grunt”), I never realized that I was a part of history. After my year plus in Vietnam, I was most anxious to put my experiences behind me. Only recently, I have begun to reconnect with my 12th Cav ‘brothers’ and keep up with the 1st Cav website. That is where I learned of this re-enactor group in England. At first I wondered if these young people were sincere or having a good laugh at our expense. I had some questions. Yet when I contacted one of their members, Joseph Hobdell, he assured me that they want to present historical accuracy. I realized after speaking with him that imitation is indeed the sincerest form of flattery. The following is an online interview conducted in May of 2006. Someday, I hope to visit these guys as they attempt to live as we once did---
VanDan: As proper Englishmen, what has inspired you to re-enact a war in which your American Cousins fought ---Vietnam?
Hobdell: That’s the ultimate question and is often
discussed around the camp fire. If
you were to ask a hundred Vietnam re-enactors that, you would probably get a
hundred
answers, all different. The consensus seems to be that during the 80's the
Vietnam War entered into pop culture through a number of films and
documentaries that came out about it. During that period of time, a lot of
our members
were going through our early teens. What with the music, the rebellious
attitude of the 60's, mixed with the images of the war, I suppose it was
hard
not to take an interest. Also, I’ve had three generations of family in the
military, so I’ve always had an interest in that respect. A defining image
for me is Hueys skimming across the tops of trees before flaring into hot
LZ's, which at the time I thought was cool and made me look into the war
further.
VanDan: Yes, flying in a Huey slick, going into a hot LZ is quite an experience. Please describe what conflicts/battles/firefights you currently re-enact.
Hobdell: We don't really do specific battles or
firefights, the emphasis is put more
on the experience of being a Grunt. A typical battle would start in the
morning and we would try to get into squads of grunts with working PRC25's
out in
the field. The V.C would then get about half an hour head start before the
patrol would begin, we would then spend the rest of the day humping the
boonies & trying to find the enemy. We can go anything from 30 minutes to
four hours
before we get any contact thus recreating the boredom of patrolling before
the exciting two- five minutes of a fire fight. We normally knock off about
2000hrs &
set up our poncho hootches before gathering round a campfire to listen to
some 60's music & shoot the bull. We normally start again the next day about
0900hrs and finish up about 1400-1600 hours before we pack up and go home.
VanDan: We only wish we could have just gone home! How many re-enactors are engaged in your Vietnam War re-enactment group? What is the age range of the re-enactors?
Hobdell: We [at the moment] have about 15 members whose level of
participation
varies some only do battle weekends-- some just the shows—and some are the
hardcore element like myself who say yes to both. We are experiencing a
problem recruiting at this moment in time as the government here is debating
whether to introduce a Bill
banning anything that looks like a weapon/gun. If it [this law] comes in, it
will
literally kill this hobby overnight and leave a lot of people's expensive
weapons that will be turned into scrap metal. The age range of our group and
re-enactors of Vietnam as a whole goes from 16 to our oldest member and C/O
Bob Cairns who's 54ish so he's young enough to remember the war first time
round.
VanDan: Where do you stage your events? How many have you had? When will be your next re-enactment?
Hobdell: We have ‘battled’ in Wales & Kent mainly. I
am a ‘veteran’ of about a
dozen or more some guys have done double or triple that. We normally aim for
about 3-4 private battles and 2 public shows a year. We also battle in all
weather rain or shine, but luckily enough not in snow yet… but have woke up
to ice
on & in my tent a couple of times…. That’s an experience! I thought I was in
the
Ardennes! Ha ha. Our next battle will be 16th,17th.18th June [2006]. It will
be a slightly
new in concept as we will be using Airsoft BB guns that fire full auto.
VanDan: How did you prepare for these re-enactments? Did you read books? Did you watch movies or documentaries? If so, which ones?
Hobdell: For the shows, you prepare by boning up a bit
(if you can) about the war both
by reading and watching a couple of documentaries purely because you will be
talking to the public. The best Vietnam [war] books I've read are Rumour
of War by
Phillip Caputo, Chickenhawk by Bob Mason, if i remember right,
Dispatches by
Michael Herr & Nam by Mark Baker but I've read loads over the years to many
to mention. Documentaries-- there was a box set that Walter Cronkite did
during the 80's which I believe was just called the Vietnam War but
Dear
America: Letters Home From Vietnam is also a great programme. And who
can
forget the TV programme Tour of Duty with SGT Zeke Anderson.
Movie-wise
Platoon is my all time favourite followed by Apocalypse Now.
VanDan: I am familiar with those, too. Have you read or seen We Were Soldiers--- which in my view re-captures my experience with the First Cav? What kinds of equipment do you use? Where have you obtained those items?
Hobdell: Equipment-wise we try to obtain the genuine
article's uniform can be the
normal OD jungle trousers and jacket but I also have a couple of ERDL
uniforms
you guys would probably know them batter as Flower Powers or Cammies. We
mainly stick to the 56 patent webbing and we use any type of the 3 rucks you
guys wore, if you include the indigenous ruck mainly used by the Special
Forces guys. Weapons we use consist of 8-9mm blank firing M16's and AK 47's
but
the odd grease gun or Thompson has been known to be seen mainly carried by
the V.C at the shows. We are able to fire the genuine article
….M16's,M60's,AK's & SKS carbine with maybe a 50 calibre thrown in for good
measure. All the stuff is all private purchase or bought off specialist
dealers. E-bay is a great place to buy items as well.
VanDan: If a Veteran came to one of your re-enactments, could we expect to see?
Hobdell: At a battle, a group of guys decked out in as
much genuine gear as
possible, trying to do their best to get it as right as we possibly can. At
a
show you would see a fairly large, varied display of equipment and vehicles
followed later on by a staged battle involving a lot of pyrotechnic
explosions in an arena.
VanDan: Wow! You guys really go all out! Do you portray individuals i.e. General Westmoreland, Colonel Hal Moore, etc.? If so, have you ever met any of those actual historical figures?
Hobdell: No. No. No! We haven't gone that far yet! The
idea is to give an honest
portrayal of the Grunt or the infantryman-- we stick to the lower ranks for
want of a better way of putting it. Although saying that with our C/O being
54 (& my dad who occasionally comes to t he show's is of a similar age) they
can no longer get away with being fresh-faced, 19 year-old recruits anymore.
So
to fit their 'character' we've had to make them officers to make it a bit
more believable and realistic to the public. Even myself, I'm in my early
30's with more grey hair showing each year, am getting to old to play an
FNG. Unfortunately, I have not had the honour of meeting Hal Moore yet,
although I do keep missing the war photographer Tim Page by a day when I go
to the War & Peace Show.
VanDan: Have any American Vietnam Veterans come to see your re-enactments? If so, what opinions did they vocalize? Do they feel that your portrayal is realistic?
Hobdell: We haven’t had a veteran see one of our
private battle weekends although we
have had a few see us at the shows. I personally have yet to meet a Vietnam
Veteran face to face, but the chaps who have spoke to our guys at shows have
been pleased with what they have seen.
VanDan: In your re-enactments, do some of your group portray the North Vietnamese Regulars, the Viet Cong, ARVNs, Kit Carsons, the ROK soldiers, the Aussies and New Zealanders?
Hobdell: For battles, we normally just stick to US
Infantry & V.C with the odd
guy dressed as NVA. In our group a few members have started a LRRP team
based on the H Company, 75th Rangers who were attached to the Cav. For the
shows it's a bit more diverse we have the above & Marines, Nurses, Navy, Air
Force, Australians and last year a couple of Japanese lad's came over &
portrayed
ARVN's which was a first.
VanDan: Have any of your group actually travelled to Vietnam to any notable sites?
Hobdell: As with everything in life it all comes down
to money I've yet to go to
Vietnam and I long to do so. I've been to America, but that was as a kid
with my
parents I'm at the moment trying my best to get over to a Cav reunion next
year. A few guys in another group go on regular pilgrimages to Vietnam.
Also, a
few of our members last year went to a reunion of Charlie company 2/7th.
They were amazed at the reception they got and couldn’t thank the guys
enough
for that.
VanDan: Do you have any American advisors helping you with details of grunt life, base camp life, language/slang, etc.?
Hobdell: Basically we do all our own research…. I've
lost count of the amount of
books I've read, documentaries and films watched…and websites viewed. It
must run
into countless hours now. At first, when I started trying to get chatting to
veterans I was met by a brick wall of silence, but I persevered and
eventually
got chatting to a few veterans. On the LRRP's side in particular I found two
very helpful gentlemen in Bill Carpenter and the man who helped start the
LRRP's for the Cav Sgt Ron Christopher. I've also had help off John 'Harpo'
Guillery from Charlie Company 2/7th, but other groups do manage
to get help
off other vets as well. The hardest information to get is patrolling
techniques. There are numerous field manuals out there….some are harder to
get than other's. Also you can only go so much 'by the book.' It's the
unwritten stuff as well that’s hard to get information on.
VanDan: Someday, I might have to go to jolly old England myself to observe and advise—as long as I don’t have to eat C’s out of a can or sleep on the ground. I don’t mind humping the ‘boonies’ of Sherwood Forest with you guys, though.. Do your re-enactments include marking your short-timer’s calendars and dreaming of R&R? Only kidding.
Hobdell: Ha ha! Believe it or not, we do try and have
a social evening around the
campfire after a days patrolling providing we're not doing a little night
patrolling/ambush. Where we have a few beers & shoot the breeze…. it's just
a chance to relax, talk & listen to some 60's music…. I do love a bit of
Motown myself. Also after a weekend of living rough you do get home a bit
ripe. My wife often has me strip off BEFORE I enter the house! Ha Ha. I
personally find it's also strange how you appreciate stuff a little bit
more…. I couldn’t believe how much joy I get from just a set of dry socks!
Or a warm bath and a cooked meal on a plate after eating out of cans.
VanDan: You have to understand that we didn’t have campfires, have too much time to talk or play radios out in the boonies. That would give us away to the enemy hiding in the bush. And yes, being without the basics makes you sure appreciate all things much, much more. Are there any aspects of the war and the aforementioned details that any of you have wondered about and would like to consult with someone who ‘was there’ to get the real-deal answers?
Hobdell: I personally would love to go out in the woods
and be taught by a good
pointman-- how to do it and be good at it. But again, it comes down to
individual wants and needs, like I said earlier. You can read a book about a
patrol, but field manuals aside, they never go in to details of HOW
(emphasis added) you
patrol… what each man would be doing and where he would be likewise if you
got
in a firefight. If you where to go by some of the books… then basically you
were dropped off walked from A to B cautiously, get picked up, and go back
to
base. And if you got in a firefight you fired off a load of ammo and that’s
it, which is simply not the case as you well know.
VanDan: Well you said the magic words. I have done my share of walking point, so I will have to start saving my pennies to make a voyage over to show you the ropes someday. Do you have a website or can you share some contact information?
Hobdell: At the moment, our group doesn't have a website but we are in the
process
of rectifying that. A good one to go to is
www.thevietnam-database.co.uk that
site has a recommended websites section. That section basically has links to
other Vietnam re-enactment groups around the world if any of your readers
would like to contact me feel free to send them my email.
josephhobdell@hotmail.com
Now this is one bunch of ‘wannabes’ who I don’t mind!
Alan VanDan, with assist from wife “Tweek”
Valparaiso, Indiana