History Comes Alive for Sherborn Cub Scouts

Note: The following was provided by Kim Wilson.

History came to life in Sherborn last Friday, Dec. 2, when the Sherborn Cub Scouts invited members of the 26th Yankee Division Historical Reenactment Group to educate the scouts about WWII and the contributions made by New England’s servicemen and women.

This event was particularly relevant as this Dec. 7 marks the 70th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor and led to the United States entering WWII.

Webelos I Den Leader Gary Gregory, who organized the event said, “The evening proved to be an exciting and educational event for all the scouts and family members in attendance. We wanted to recognize the significant contributions of The Greatest Generation on the 70th anniversary of our entering WWII. This evening was a great opportunity for our Cub Scouts to learn about the experiences and sacrifices made by those who went before us.” 

Gregory said the event provided an opportunity for the Scouts to explore the role their grandparents and other family members may have played during the war.

The 26th Yankee Division WWII Historical Re-enactment Group is an extension of the nation’s oldest armed forces division with ties dating back to the late 1600’s.

The division was formally commissioned in 1917 and fought in Europe in both WWI and WWII.

The group runs educational programs and re-enactment battles across New England. More information can be found at their website.

The scouts got to experience what life was like as a soldier back then, getting the opportunity to wear the clothing, eat some of the same types of food, hold some of the weapons and see some of the first aid methods that were used during the war.

Five members of the 26th Yankee Division were on hand in period uniforms to explain everything and to answer questions and present the materials.

They also brought casings of period weapons, supplies and a WWII era highlight movie projector and reel that displayed actual footage from the war.

The Sherborn Cub Scouts enjoyed their time and were thankful to Sweet Meadow Farm of Sherborn who contributed the use of their farm for the presentation.