Memorial Day at the Viet Nam War Foundation

Ruckersville is home to the Viet Nam War Foundation, a small private collection of military equipment.  This is less than a mile from my house & was holding an open house over Memorial Day weekend.  I hadn’t been to see their collection before, so I headed over on Monday once I had unpacked my truck from the SLR Belle Grove Rendezvous.

Several items were set up outside in the field just for the Open House.  Yes the tables & chairs are vintage military equipment.

The sentry post only gets a sentry for events.

The Foundation has over a dozen vehicles, including a helicopter.  All are in running condition.

I found the equipment of daily life in a field unit the most interesting part of the displays.

The interior of a transport – infantry support vehicle

There were also small displays on the south Vietnamese army & the Viet Cong equipment.

Even a vintage VW with newspaper articles on the war protests at UVA in Charlottesville. 

The event was well attended, it was actually hard to take photographs that didn’t include visitors.  The owner of this collection is himself a Viet Nam war vet. 

I learned of my government’s involvement in Viet Nam when I was just shy of 10, I would be almost 25 before it was finally over.  A close childhood friend died there, several of my adult friends served there.  It’s a war that shaped me as an adult in ways that are actually rather complicated, conflicting and very difficult to talk about .

But it was a good visit and a good way to spend a Memorial Day afternoon.

Shenandoah Long Rifles at Belle Grove

Its Memorial Day weekend, so its time for the Shenandoah Long Rifles’ Spring Rendezvous at Belle Grove farm in the lower Shenandoah valley.  The first time I attended this event it was cold, rainy, very muddy & I arrived on my Harley with my gear in my 12 cu. ft. trailer.  Had a wonderful time although getting my Harley back out of the field we park the “mules” in was a challenge.

My Lodge

At that 1st event I was camped on a low cot 6” off the ground under 2 overlapping diamond flies.  My current camp is somewhat less austere.    I really like this setup & don’t plan on adding or changing much – I would like a wooden stew ladle & a cooking fork for the kitchen, 2 more lantern stands & better flap ties on the tent. 

Of course a major part of any ‘Vous is the camp visiting.  Tales large & small must be told, lies swapped & a good laugh had by one & all.

It was dry but hot, so there was even more just socializing between friends than usual.

Also time for couples to just be out & about.

Holly was there – which meant there was a whole lot of laughter going around camp.

That’s Lou on the left, a seasoned hand at these affairs.

Sunday was hot enough that shirtless was the way to go if possible.

And the best way to nap was outside the tent – inside was a sure way to end up heat stressed & dehydrated.

There was rifle, smoothbore, archery & hawk throwing competitions.  If ya shoot it, ya gotta clean it.

Saturday evening there’s always a camp potluck, these folks are helping lay the groaning board.   There was a cold buffet Sunday evening too but later in the day so I don’t have any pictures of it.

A motley collection of rouges & scoundrels.

Flick telling us about plans & needs for the EPR in Tidewater this September before dinner.

There was a Civil War Confederate cavalry event at Belle Grove out near US 11.  A  couple from that event accepted our invitation & came for dinner Saturday.  Both horses are registered Morgans.

I arrived early Friday evening & got back home by midmorning on Memorial Day.  I had a great time even with the heat & have my internal psychic batteries once again charged up. 

P.S. To the fella who reads my blog who actually met me for the 1st time at this Vous – I really enjoyed meeting you, maybe next time it will be cool enough for me to sing.

Life Made Other Plans

OK, so I was scheduled to be at the Old Middlebrook Village Day from 9am until 4 pm on Saturday.  My registration confirmation said I was to set up near the Civil War folks (I’m representing the 1760’s) and that I could camp out Friday night with them on site.  Fantastic.  I packed up all the proper toys & arrived on site at 7 pm.  No one else was there.  No Civil War folks or tents, no Village Day folks, just some food tent setups, booth markers & 2 porta-potties.  Well at least the hooters are here.  As I was contemplating  how to proceed an Augusta County law officer showed up & informed me I couldn’t camp there overnight.  Set up yes, camp no.  Great.  I don’t have the funds to either drive home & come back in the morning or to stay at the local KOA/motel/truck stop.  Called everyone I knew in the area, nobody was home.  Guess I’m a no show for OMVD.

So I called Gypsy Jane who is in Lynchburg this weekend.  I had planned to go camp with her Saturday night after OMVD, instead I headed over there Friday night.  Got there about 10 pm, which made for a rather long day but at least I was having quality friend time.  She’s moving out of her Escaper RV & into her Holiday Rambler RV, so there was plenty to work on Saturday.  About noon her friend Danny said there was some sort of history thing going on across the highway in New London. 

The something involved our OVPR friends, the Itinerate Musicians – the weekend had just improved wonderfully.

I don’t know the mandolin players name, but that’s Randy with the Preacher.

There were all kinds of things going on – a blacksmith, soap making, a Civil War camp, quilting, spinning, 1700’s children’s games, a bluegrass band, various other period crafts, displays on New London’s history and carriage rides.

Some Horse-less Carriages too.  No rides in these though.

Saturday evening found Gypsy Jane & I camped at our favorite site in the Lynchburg IWL.  Sunday we ran some errands & moved her Escaper RV to the camp site so she could finish moving her things into her new home.  Then I headed home to unload my unused historic camp.  The canvas had gotten wet from the rain Saturday night, so now its laid out on my front yard to dry. 

Not the weekend I’d planned but a good weekend none the less.

Cutoff a Hydra’s Head & Two More Appear

Well its been done.  Osama Ben Laden has been killed.  And those who do not mourn his passing are legion, myself among them.   He had the opportunity and means to do great and good things on this earth.  He choose instead the way of dark violence and led many others along this twisted path.  I doubt he rests in peace.

Yet there is no joy here for me.  Osama Ben Laden was killed in his place of residence by members of my country’s military.  This was done on foreign soil without the permission or even knowledge of  that country’s government.   His body was then removed and buried at sea, presumably to prevent his grave from becoming a martyr’s shrine.  There is no honor in this.  An outpouring of jubilation has followed his death.  There is no honor in this either.

Does blood and violence spawn anything but more blood and violence?  Those who follow this man will not be passive.  On whom will these associates vent their grief and wrath?  Pakistani citizens?  US citizens here or abroad?  Foreign citizens who work for an American company or its government in their own country?   Do you really think this butcher’s bill has been paid?

When the hydra’s head is cut off, two more heads grow in its place.  When the dragon’s teeth are sown  fully armed warriors are the harvest.  The ancient Greeks had a wisdom worth employing.  As we sow, so shall we reap. 

“Do I have any pleasure from the death of the wicked” declares the Lord God, “rather than that he should turn from his ways and live ?”  Ezekiel 18:23  NASB