Remembering WWII

Thank you, Ms. Geiger, for sharing your insight and reflections on the weekend away remembering WWII.

Remembering WWII

Have you ever played the dinner party game where you are asked to choose a historical moment that you would like to return to? It’s both entertaining and self-revealing, but everyone knows it’s impossible. Or is it? 

If your choice would be that moment when America and the Allied Forces liberated France from German occupation, you may want to make the trip to the small town of Linden, Tennessee, which, each September, turns itself into a French town in 1944. 

On September 27 of this year, two Eastwood teachers and eight students joined professional reenactors David and Cathy Scroggins in order to experience what Linden calls “an unforgettable day of honoring our heroes, connecting personally with the past, and experiencing a taste of life in the 1940s.” Two battle scenarios—complete with tanks, jeeps, hand grenades, and vintage small arms—are played out in front of thousands of spectators. In the morning, the German army advances and takes the town despite the valiant efforts of the American troops and a small band of French partisan fighters. (That was us - the Eastwood Group!) But each afternoon, the Germans are defeated, the Americans win, and the French town is liberated. Watching the huge French flag on the courthouse facade come down and be replaced by the swastika is gut-wrenching, but seeing the American flag replace the swastika each afternoon (and knowing you had a hand in it) gives one a true sense of victory over oppression. 

Between battles one can experience food, music, and historical exhibits from the 1940s. Most importantly, veterans of WWII are honored and available to meet and thank and learn from. The day concludes with a USO show and swing dance before we are transported back to the 21st century. 

I’d like to thank the students—Knox DeHuff, Joseph Givens, Lily Givens, Matt Hodges, Isaiah Jacobsen, Porter Johnson, Stephen Spooner, Liam Waddell, and Evelyn Williams—along with Ruth Givens and her parents, David and Cathy Scroggins, for making the dinner party ice breaker a reality. May we each continue to “fight the good fight” and do our part to usher in the true and eternal kingdom of love and peace.                                         Dawn Geiger