VIETNAM REENACTMENT SCHEDULED FOR PHOENIX
by Karen McCormick
“The Civil War happened too
long ago” says Donovan Keats. He’s the leader of the Ho Chi Minh
Hellraisers, a group of fifty Gilbert natives who plan on hosting
a Vietnam War Reenactment on Tempe’s Mill Avenue. “We just want
to do something we can relate to.”
This Saturday, near Uno’s Pizzeria,
Keats and his men will dress as either U.S. Soldiers or North Vietnamese
soldiers. They will stage a takeover of Taipen-Kwo Bridge, where
many soldiers on both sides lost their lives. Keats says that no
details will be spared.
“Well, we’re making some land
mines out of paper plates and gelatin. For grenades it’s paint balloons.
Our first lieutenant Kyle Hendrix even has a hang-glider called
the B-52 Pissfire that we’re going to try to nail with our paint
guns. It’s all pretty safe, and we’re expecting a good turn out.”
At least eighty men, women and
children are expected to participate in this year’s Vietnam War
reenactment. If all goes well, next year Keats hopes to conduct
a Gulf War attack on the sand volleyball courts near Camelback.
