A Dream
by Jonah Begone
Written March 15, 1990
I drive down to the Sayler's Creek reenactment dressed in Army/Navy surplus clothing. When I get there, I realize that nobody had dressed in their Civil War togs yet, and all were standing around in similar Army/Navy surplus attire (the clothing style of many a reenactor).
Someone hands me a Colt AR-15 and off we go into a wilderness that very quickly begins to resemble a jungle in Viet Nam rather than the familiar second-growth forestry of Virginia. I quickly wonder what's going on, and ask "Hey, this is a great reenactment! I'm having a lot more fun than I normally do in Cvivil War events! Is this a yearly thing?" Someone turns around, and in a scene lifted straight out of The Twilight Zone says, "What do you mean reenactment?" I'm really in Viet Nam!
What's even more weird, despite the mud, rain, heat and fatigue I'm enjoying it immensely!
The platoon I'm "in" comes across a Vietnamese village. We're ordered to search the hooches, and to my surprise I discover a Civil War sutler selling Army of the Potomac Corps badges. The other solders ask me what these items are, and I respond, explaining reenactments . This mystifies everyone. I sort of get confused myself.
The dream ended at this point.
NOTE: This was one of these "Isn't it great to be in a war!" dreams I usually get when my testosterone level exceeds itself. I woke up with a sincere regret that I had never been involved in a war.
SUSPECTED SOURCE: Watching WWII Bond Drive cartoons and making the comment that I think I would have preferred actually being in the war than being a civilian getting pitched to to buy war bonds.
