Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1115818
For three years, this has been the idea behind our "Rakkasans", Historical Reen- actment Association whenever we have organized for us and our friends demand- ing marches with uniforms and complete equipment typical for the Nam episode of the C Company of the 3rd Battalion of the 187th Regiment of the US Army 101st Airborne Division. The marches take place according to the routine patrols of the US Army in 1969. They usually last about a week and at that time we trek through the wilderness in the Polish south-western Bieszczady Mountains, near villages of Cisna and Wetlina. The region was cho- sen on purpose – it is a tough area for footmen, full of steep hills, streams, and dense vegetation. For years, the region has been used for drills of military units from various countries (it is even called the "Fuckin' Polish Jungle"). What is in- teresting, it looks very similar to the part of Vietnam patrolled by the "Rakkasans" soldiers during the war. For each patrol, we try our best to be prepared both in terms of historical re- enactment as well as of purely practical aspects. The first form of preparations is, as one may guess, a thorough analysis of historic pictures and descriptions. Then, we adjust the details of our uniforms and gear to the image we determined based on the source material. The second form, apart from trivial things such as planning the route or notifying relevant services about our event, also involves our favor- ite element – replicas of C-rations. For each patrol, we take canned food paint- ed military green, as well as packages of dark-brown bags that contain matches, water purification tablets, cigarettes (in historically adequate, small boxes), and other precious things. Food rations were delivered to soldiers by helicopters. We do not have such means of transport so we solve the problem in another way – we hide the provisions beforehand along our planned route. Frequently, the C-rats are protected by a small trap. So, you need to stay aware all the time, just like in Nam back in the days. We march, in terms of our number and equipment, as a platoon of two teams commanded by an officer and sergeants. It requires that we must take proper gear, such as two M60s (called "the Pig"), ammunition belts, two operation- al AN/PRC 25 radios. Apart from that, we need Claymore mines, grenades, equipment, bandoliers with additional rounds, a water supply in several can- teens and water bladders, Lightweight Rucksacks (I bet someone came up with this name ironically, because when fully packed, they become dreadfully heavy), and mock-up firearms. We mainly march with M16A1s, but there will be a point- man with a pump-action shotgun or even a soldier with an M79 grenade launcher (commonly called the "blooper"). Last year, there was a guy wearing a bunch of grenade pouches. He even squeezed him- self into a vest that was tailor-made to allow carrying such ammunition. When you have to move with full equipment that weighs about 20–30 kilograms, through a sultry forest, very often up a steep hill, you become aware of the huge effort the GIs had to take in Vietnam. The Lighweight Rucksack draw you down, all the random sacks dangle around, the two-piece helmet is heavy and presses painfully against your neck. You are all sweaty, your breath becomes shallow, and the only thing you think of is the next stopover. Everyone, guys around their forties or even brisk adolescents, experience exhaust in the same way. The march is terribly difficult and, all the time, you need to remember about the formation. When your body is extremely tired, such things suddenly become hard. Fortunately, we are safe; there is no real enemy to shoot at us. REENACTMENT