The season of WWII reenactments is finally upon us!

photo by Eric Delacruz

In my free time, I’m a little obsessed with the history of women’s roles in the military during WWII. Learning. Teaching. Reenacting. Given the rather harsh climate here in Minnesota, there is very little to do from October through April (aside from one very frigid Winter Carnival Parade in January). Once in a while, my friends and I will try to have drill practice at the Commemorative Air Force, but that’s about it. I’ve often joked that photos of me on Facebook fall into two categories: reenactment, or winter. The thing is, the joke is actually fairly accurate.

The first event of the season this year was on a Saturday in late May, and Friday night found me busy assembling uniforms and sorting through equipment that I hadn’t used since my last major event — a weekend in Rockford back in September. I cautiously pulled out my canteen, thinking, “Did I leave the cap open so this could dry out before I stored it for the winter? I can’t remember.” I unscrewed the cap, bracing myself for the potential stench of mildew. Luckily, the canteen was clean and fresh inside, but as a looked at the mouth, I had to laugh…for there in the grooves were stains from my bright red lipstick from almost eight months earlier.

It’s a simple, silly thing, but it seemed very fitting, and quite telling of my feelings at the end of any event. Time to clean up, time to pack things away, but really, it won’t be for long, right? How can I possibly wait to do it again?

This blog will be the place for a lot of things: information about women’s roles in WWII, research I’m doing for my historical impressions, photos and anecdotes from events I participate in, and more. So stay tuned…and if you’re a fellow reenactor, let me know if I mention an event where we might run into each other.

Keep ‘Em Flying!

– Lt. Callie M. Knudslien