US Republican candidate re-enacting SS Wiking Division

[panzermahn]

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/nationa ... out_e.html

[Tom Houlihan]

I still think the hoopla over this is foolish. He is interested in a certain period in history, so what?

What about the guys that reenact the British Army at Lexington and Concord every April? Are they somehow disloyal traitors?

How about all those guys who have a great interest in the War Between the States? Is everyone involved in reenacting Pickett's Charge suddenly now a slave-owning racist?

This is a crock.

[haen2]

AMEN I have a good friend who was a reenactor; does not have time anymore, so had to give it up.
He Was a U.S. Paratrooper Sergeant. Reenacted WWII US Marines AND WWII Waffen SS, in which he acted as Ustuf.
I even have a foto wearing his Feldgrau tunic and cap, as such.
But . . . getting close to election time, if they don't have anything positive to offer, they resort to vilify the opponent.
I am getting sick and tired of the TV ads, slinging mud at each other.
We had a Governor for 8 years who was nicknamed "Taxhaber". Under his "leadership", the state went to pot.
Now he has the guts to run again. And our traveler/vacationer in chief , Mr.Soetoero, even came over to put up some propaganda for him.
Thank God, only a few more weeks, and than we will have the best government money can buy
.Haen.

[L. Kafka]

...that should not cause any protest. But if it is attending socials and going around in public wearing an SS uniform, he is foolish and being exhibitionist. Let's face it: SS troopers were not ordinary German infantrymen, nor were they drafted into SS units.

I would also suggest that re-enactors think twice about wearing Nazi arm bands. Such devices should only be worn in serious historical settings.

[L. Kafka]

How about a synopsis on what type of unit the Wiking Division was? On a person note, I've read that Rich Iott is a poser, that he claims as his occupation "soldier." Iott never served in the military. He belongs to some type of Ohio militia.

[haen2]

quote: Let's face it: SS troopers were not ordinary German infantrymen, nor were they drafted into SS units.
end quote.
WRONG !!! as the war progressed, MANY men were put in the waffen SS without volunteering.
"Guest"workers in particular were often pressed to sign up. Also P.O.W.'s were 'recruited" at times.
So , where the original Waffen SS units were "elite" as we now want to describe them, the later formed divisions were not all that "elite", nor all volunteers.
The joke of the time was: Can he walk ?, does he have at least one eye ? can he hold a rifle ? "accepted" for duty!.
just an observation
HN

[L. Kafka]

But what was the record of the Wiking Division? I watched the Wiking re-enactors recruiting video. Maybe it's because I was a Marine infantryman in Vietnam, but I find being involved with the Ohio Wikings not to be appealing. I think I'd rather do paint ball combat.

[L. Kafka]

...probably think that SS has something to do with a Chevrolet.

[L. Kafka]

But I hear is going to work for a restaurant called Waffles SS.

[AHK]

Do you actually attend Panther games? I guess after Vietnam,you must like losers!
AHK

[L. Kafka]

I was born in Detroit and spent most of my life there. I used to attend Lions games on cold winter days when they played at Tiger Stadium before they moved to the Pontiac Silverdome in 1974. Well, at least the Charlotte Panthers have been to the Super Bowl. The Lions are the last of the pre-1970 AFL-NFL merger teams not to have been to the Super Bowl. Among other NFL team only Jacksonville and Houston haven't been to the Super Bowl.

I wonder if I wore a SS Viking Division uniform to a Minnesota game if anyone would get it.

[auslander]

The WSS did in fact conscript starting about 1943. And the complete saying was What you gona do about it shave my head ,call me a Marine, send me to Viet Nam, well woopty F*****g boing boing. This coment was generaly reserved for lifers who had a sever death wish.