 "Photo: Kim Espinosa")
The semiautomatic rifles ceased to fire on the field Sunday afternoon as German soldiers threw their hands in the air signaling their surrender to American soldiers.
Texas Military Forces Museum volunteers held a live re-enactment of a typical World War II battle scene for Camp Mabry's Close Assault 1944 living history program.
The re-enactment was staged on Veterans Day to honor current and former military servicemen and women, said Jeff Hunt, director of the Texas Military Forces Museum.
"This sort of illustrates the dangers they faced on the battlefield," Hunt said as he adjusted his vintage military helmet. "World War II is also an iconic moment in Texas military history."
When World War II began, Camp Mabry was the headquarters of the Texas Defense Guard, according to the camp's Web site.
The Texas National Guard was also part of the first invasion of Europe, which occurred in Salerno, Italy, said Dennis Johnsey, a volunteer at the military museum and a Vietnam War veteran.
"We played a big role, especially in the beginning of the war," Johnsey said. "This re-enactment is kind of a reminder of our involvement in the war."
Johnsey has given tours of the museum since the beginning of the Iraq war. He said he wanted to serve in the National Guard but was unable to because of his prosthetic leg.
"I decided I'd go out and do something instead of yelling at my TV," he said.
Less than five feet away from Johnsey was a group of volunteers preparing to run into the bushes for the start of the
re-enactment.
"These uniforms are wool and breathe really well," volunteer John Klier said of the vintage army attire. "But they're itchy and not comfortable when they're wet."
Before the re-enactment, civilians and servicemen dressed in vintage military apparel gave presentations on typical weapons, equipment and uniforms used during the war.
"These rifles jam up sometimes," said a lieutenant to the crowd when a volunteer soldier had trouble shooting his rifle. "I mean, they are 65 years old."
Suddenly, the crowd covered their ears as another volunteer successfully shot a round of bullets into the bushes in the distance.
"Fast, deadly and effective," said a man dressed in World War II military fatigues. "That's why our men came home and theirs didn't."
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