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About The skanner. (Portland, Or.) 1975-2014 | View Entire Issue (May 6, 2015)
Arts & Entertainment Veteran talks About War Re-enactment Documentary By Arashi Young Of The Skanner News F or one weekend every year Oregon woods are transformed into a war zone as a mix of combat enthusiasts, veterans and a former South Vietnamese Army officer re-enact the Vietnam War. The movements of the 2/5 1st Cavalry Division are featured in the documentary “In Country,” which pre- mieres in Portland at Living tured in the documentary. We asked him about the movie, what it’s like to par- ticipate in re-enactments and the taboo surrounding the Vietnam War. Here are excerpts of the interview, edited for space and clarity. The Skanner News: How did you get involved in mil- itary re-enactments? Lucien Darensburg: I met Joel Kinney at his niece’s grad party. I had for me. Joel’s passion for the group and collection of military memorabilia con- vinced me to come out and experience the group for myself. I came out in the summer of 2012. I was tested men- tally and physically and was able to use some of the skills I had learned through the military without leaving the country or truly seeing the death and dying involved with war. I left tired and sore with new [I] was able to use some of the skills I had learned through the military without leaving the country or truly seeing the death and dying involved with war Room Theatres on May 8. The Skanner News inter- viewed Portlander and veteran Lucien Darensburg, one of the re-enactors fea- never thought about re- enacting really, ever. I thought it would be watered down and I figured there wasn’t really anything in it friends and a sense of cama- raderie that can only be felt after people go through a stressful experience and come out together. Images from Lucien Darensburg’s life from the documentary ‘In Country.’ TSN: Is there a particular battle or operation that is being re-enacted? LD: We re-enact a time period, a specific year, gen- erally between 1967 and 1970. Earlier than that, the gear gets harder and harder to find. Other than the year which is defined to ensure that everyone is wearing period correct uniforms and gear in the right configura- tion. We do not act as if we are characters from a movie or famous people. In essence we are portraying ourselves in said year. There is no script or pre-deter- mined outcomes. Everyone has a job whether it be rifle- man, grenadier, medic, or RTO (radio operator). Other than that we are given wound cards in case you are “wounded or killed;” this allows the person to seam- lessly transition from an uninjured soldier to a casu- alty and know what to do. TSN: Is there a taboo sur- rounding the Vietnam War? LD: Yes. I think that it’s common knowledge that the Vietnam War was seen as a bad war and many thought we should not have been there. I do not and we do not have an agenda when it comes to the re-enactment of the war. I re-enact to pay tribute to the soldiers that fought valiantly and coura- geously in Vietnam. Imitation is the purest form of flattery. I respect the men that fought in Vietnam and we as a group take our re- enactment very serious to ensure that we pay tribute in the right way. I think there is not only a taboo surrounding the Viet- nam War but a taboo surrounding Vietnam War re-enacting. Many believe we are a bunch of idiots traipsing around the woods glorifying war. I know there is no glory in war, but brave men fought and that’s what we try emulate in our re- enactment. TSN: Your re-enactments are more private than the staged reenactments of the revolutionary or civil wars. Is there a benefit to that pri- vacy? LD: We work harder than many of those groups. We are mobile. We cover multi- ple kilometers a day, cutting through thick brush in the heat of the day. Additionally the revolutionary and civil wars were fought in open fields in ranks in which they took turn firing muskets and cannons at each other. Viet- nam was fought in many different types of terrain. We cover many types of ter- rain and if it rains we fight in the rain, if its 102 degrees we fight in the sun. Either way we fight together, we look out for each other. TSN: What do you hope people get out of seeing this documentary? LD: I hope people under- stand that we do this as a tribute to the men and women who served in Viet- nam. Many of the soldiers, marines, airmen, and sailors were treated unfairly upon returning home. This is unacceptable! We strive to be the best portrayal we can be of the Vietnam experi- See Q&A on page 11 V Y Peterson Treads Tough Terrain in New Book This extraordinary collection of poetry and fictional prose, chronicles the realities and disparities of divorce, relationships and mental illness, within communities of color. Portland author V.Y. Peterson hopes, with her work, to acknowledge the adversities that are present in communities of color, that are impacting life everyday such as: AIDS, divorce, incarceration and mental illness. She has written countless plays, poems and short stories, that outline her desires for a greater America. Fruits of Our Labor: MY Words, MY Harvest can be purchased at authorhouse.com, Broadway Books in Portland and amazon.com. Page 6 The Portland and Seattle Skanner May 6, 2015
