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For WWII veterans, re-enactment is therapy

Daily Gazette (Sterling, IL) - 7/3/2015

July 03--DIXON -- Leonard Norman has packed in a lot of memories in his nearly 100 years. Some he's kept packed away.

But on a sunny summer day in June, Leonard unpacked some of his past at Elk's Page Park in Dixon, where World War II re-enactors were bringing history to life -- history that Leonard played a part in. It's a role, however, that he's been reluctant to relive. For Norman, like other veterans, history isn't always worth repeating.

Last month, though, that changed.

The 96-year-old army veteran was surprised on Father's Day when his daughter, grandson and great-grandchildren took him to the park, the site of the annual World War II Re-enacted event organized by local volunteers.

Tents similar to the ones Norman and other GI's bunked in dotted the landscape. Performers donned WWII-era uniforms and drove the same kinds of vehicle that Norman would have worked on during his tour as an Army technician in England.

For the public, WWII Re-enacted tries to develop a culture of appreciation for the sacrifices made by U.S. military men and women.

But every once in a while, said event coordinator Charlie Thomas, a veteran like Norman attends. When they do, the re-enactors give them special attention. They are the veterans the program emulates, after all.

"When they see guys like [Norman] come out here, it's a special deal for us," Thomas said. "This is a catalyst for veterans to talk about things with family that they may not normally have the desire to talk about. It helps that family legacy."

Through the years, Leonard had grown quieter, said his daughter, Deb Blackburn. On Father's Day, though, he provided a stream of commentary about the re-created world around him.

"He doesn't say a lot," Blackburn said, but "they spent a lot of time with him, asked him what he could remember. It was nice. ..."

"I always tell people to listen when he does talk, because you're going to learn a lot. This really brings it to you that they had to live like this. It makes you appreciate our freedom."

Norman was given V.I.P. treatment. All WWII vets who attend the program are given free admission and a meal, and are allowed extensive access into whatever they wish to see.

Re-enactors hold lengthy discussions with the special visitors, and organizers make accommodations to transport veterans from display to display.

After the war, Norman took special interest in motorcycles and became a Harley-Davidson mechanic. When event organizers found out, he was treated to a special ride around park grounds in a restored 1940s-era war motorcycle.

All the while, people listened as Norman opened up about his experiences. It's something many veterans do at the re-enactments, Thomas said.

"I think it helps. I really think it does," he said. "They have a chance to discuss things that their family otherwise wouldn't experience. I think it's very therapeutic, very much so."

Most WWII veterans are in their 90s by now, and eventually the Dixon re-enactment won't have audience members who were in Europe, living through what is only being replicated now.

For now, the re-enactment allows those veterans to safely revisit a world that might not bring up the fondest memories.

Giving elderly veterans a way to talk about those experiences is meaningful to them, Thomas said.

Finally, there is the element of respect that surrounds veterans like Norman every year.

After announcers highlighted the fact that he toured in England, Norman received a round of applause. That appreciation -- or, as Thomas called it, a "commitment to remembering the sacrifice" -- serves both those who were there and the young who take away a deeper understanding of a world-changing event.

"The real story is in the legacy -- where they were and what they've done," Thomas said.

"We want to keep this history alive because of the sacrifice that they've done."

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(c)2015 the Daily Gazette (Sterling, Ill.)

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