I'm Still Here...

Greetings all,

Had a rough couple of weeks...missed making the deadline for my fifth blog entry last week having overextended myself somewhat in meeting prior obligations and then I got sick...

Oh, well at least Spring Break is here so all is not lost, just set back a little.

Am helping out with an Eagle Scout project at the moment, today was day three.  Got home about an hour ago...very tired, but satisfied with contributing a full days work (make that weekend) to a good cause.

Just wanted to make a brief posting to say I'm still here...will try to make up for the lapse later this week.

Out for now, going to go to bed!

The Benefits of Re-enacting...

It's been another busy weekend, so again just a short post today...

Having re-enacting and living history as hobbies opens the door to a plethora of experiences, all of them unique and some of them completely unexpected.  Over the past few years I have had the opportunity to do the following among other things-

• I have ridden in and driven jeeps, 2 1/2 ton and 5 ton trucks, as well as armored vehicles.
• Have shot a variety of vintage military rifles.
• Have towed aircraft and helicopters.
• Worked on machine guns (non-functioning).
• Worked on 500-lb. bombs (non-explosive dummies).
• Acted as ground crew for visiting C-130 Hercules and P-3 Orion aircraft.
• Have handled artifacts recovered from aircraft crash sites.
• Acted as an advisor and extra for a photo shoot and short film.

And the awesome part about doing all these things, is that I did not have to go anyplace to do them!  I had all these experiences right here on Oahu; and it certainly goes to show that you don't always have to go far to be able to do exciting things- adventure can be had in your own "back yard".

If anything, I'm hoping that it will help my resume in the near future...we'll see!

I will try to make it a point to post more pics, I haven't quite picked up the habit of always carrying a camera with me just yet.

Out for now...

Some Brief Thoughts on Re-enacting...

Having a pretty busy weekend, so just a short post today...

Tips on Re-enacting-

1. Be respectful to the uniform that you wear and always conduct yourself appropriately.  
2. Be historically accurate and knowledgeable.
3. Practice good grooming (i.e. correct haircut) and dress (i.e. shined boots, clean uniform).
4. Remember to tell the human story behind your historical impression.
5. Connect your historical impression to a unit with local ties (i.e. in Hawaii we have the 25th Infantry Division of the US Army at Schofield Barracks).
6. Maintain a professional, military bearing while in uniform.

Lastly, and this is just a personal opinion of mine; try to avoid focusing exclusively on the "elite" forces, such as airborne, Rangers, Special Forces/Green Berets, Marine Force Recon, Delta Force, and Navy SEAL's.  While these units are certainly most deserving of recognition and do indeed execute some of the most dangerous missions, I cannot help but feel that people lavish a little too much attention on them at times; and in my mind this leads to the attitude that "only special forces matter" and "only special forces can make a difference".  Always remember that it is the rank-and-file troops and support personnel who shoulder the larger burden of carrying out operations and without them, the military simply could not function; the special forces included!  In short, give the "everyman" soldiers their due as well.

Why History?

Alright, time to get started...

After considering my options over this past week, I thought I'd dedicate my blog to highlighting my interest in history and my hobby of doing Military Living History/Re-enacting.

My fascination with history goes back to my childhood and is thanks in large part to the TV series Reading Rainbow with Levar Burton.  I could and did literally spend hours watching that show (contrary to popular belief, TV can be good for your brain...you just need to choose the right shows to watch!)  and aside from a love of reading, it piqued my interest and exposed me to a wide range of subjects and by the time I was in school; I had already studied ancient Egypt, medieval knights, and the Titanic amongst other things.



 As I got older, I came to understand just what it was about history which captivated me and I think it has to do with simple the fact that so much about our world and ourselves can be gleaned by studying it.  When people think "history" it conjures up thoughts about the past, and images of places far away persons long dead.  Others may see "history" as something of little relevance to them or to the present, being that history is so often presented as being so grand in scale and happenstance that it seems to have little bearing on our immediate lives and circumstances.  In short, people may simply say "History is boring, and why should I care?  What does it have to do with me?"  Well, I say its has everything to do with you because it is people who make history and ultimately, the study of history is the study of human nature; being that history has, is, and will always be made by the actions of people.  While we may know the how, history tells us the why and it is by this same token that my hobby of historical re-enacting comes in.

My interest in doing re-enacting goes back to when I was in the Boy Scouts.  I remember reading an article in Boys Life about Civil War re-enactments and was immediately taken with the thought of what it must be like to experience an event like that where you are literally taken back in time and are immersed in those events and places.  This is where the "living" in Living History comes from, in that you are not just playing a bit part, but rather you seek to become the part in its entirety and as such you become privy to a wealth of knowledge and experience which can only be obatained and appreciated from doing it for real.

 



More on this later...

This Is A Blog...

Greetings Internet,

My name is Lance I. Teruya, age 25.  I was born and raised here in the 50^th state of Hawaii and am of Japanese-Okinawan descent.  My current “occupation” is that of student at Kapiolani Community College.

The impetus behind the creation of this blog is one of my classes at KCC, Communication 201.  As part of our curriculum in COM 201, each one of us students is partaking in maintaining a personal blog for the duration of the spring semester.  The purpose of our blogs is to allow us to explore and partake in the communication realm of the internet.

I must admit that if it wasn’t for this class activity, I myself would have very little, if any, interest in blogging at all.  I was never someone who got into fads in a big way and being that I value personal discretion, dignity, and privacy very highly; I never imagined myself getting involved in socializing in the digital world, at least not in a big way.  Furthermore, I cannot help but feel that with all the blogs, vlogs, and viral videos already out there on the web that the world doesn’t really need one more person to add to an already crowded and at times obnoxious online social mix.

All this being said however, there certainly can’t be too much harm in dabbling in a blog, at least for a little while.  I’m still not certain in just what direction to take this assignment, so for the moment I ask that you; whomever you potential viewers may be, to please bear with me while I figure this all out. 

Anyway, let’s give this a go and see where it takes us!