“I recently attended a Civil War Living History event near Houston, Texas, at the historic Liendo Plantation. At that event, I had the privilege of riding with the 8th Texas Cavalry a.k.a. Terry’s Texas Rangers, an actual unit that served in Texas during the War Between the States. History, specifically United States history has always been a passion of mine, along with being a proud Kansan and patriotic citizen. My father and the legacy of my grandparents has been a great influence on my character and who I am. Our country’s struggles and beginnings has always been a fascination to me, and being able to educate the public and attempt to bring a piece of the past back to life is something I’ve always wanted to do. I re-enact to better understand the story of our country, to try to get a taste of what it was like. I re-enact to honor my ancestors who’ve gone before me. But most of all, I re-enact to keep history alive. Through re-enacting, I can experience just a little of what it was truly like during that devastating time. You can’t re-enact the death pain, or emotions. I try to express the thoughts and feelings of the average Yank or Reb of the time or the man just caught between an betwixt. The goal of it all is to LEARN. Not criticize, rewrite or shame as many people do now.”