By WARREN DILLAWAY - Staff Writer
CONNEAUT — The fierce hand to hand combat had the crowd jostling for a better view of the final stages of one of the most intense battles in world history.
The soldiers were not firing live rounds and the beach was not in France, but thousands of people got a feel for what the D-Day invasion was like 65 years ago.
“It’s an adrenaline rush you don’t get (too often),” said Devin Rapose of Conneaut after sprinting across a sandy beach in a wool suit in the middle of August.
“Let’s just say when you are done you are soaked ... It gives you a respect for what they went through,” Rapose said.
“It’s very intense. You have the actual equipment and you’re running up the beach in August in wool uniforms,” said Derek Jividen, 21, of Painesville. He said the experience gave him a greater appreciation of what war must be like.
“Once you go out there and you have the gun up it becomes real,” he said.
Jim Hill, of Niagara Falls, Ont., had a view of the battle from the top of Conneaut Township Park bluffs where he announced the events.
For many years Ohio re-enactors have been going to Canada for special events and it was time for him to pay back the favor.
Hill said watching the event was extremely sobering because of the detail that goes into the event. “I’ve been to Normandy a couple of times ... this little beach is not too far away from (the looks) of Omaha Beach,” he said.
The opportunity to see a bit of history live and close to home can be helpful for a new generation that doesn’t have the tools to understand World War II. “So many little kids are never going to get there (France). The geographic separation (from Europe) can pretty much separate you from the event,” Hill said.
He said events like the mock invasion make that portion of history easier to understand for younger people.
Hill said the detailed research and discussions with D-Day veterans helps authenticate the experience as well.
“I’ve been doing this for 45 years,” said George Woodland, of Cleveland, as he took a break on a rock before the battle.
“I enjoy the history,” Woodland said.
Ed and Peggy Haberle of North Braddock, Pa., are hooked on the experience and return to Conneaut every year.
“We love coming up here. It is a hidden gem,” Peggy said while waiting for the event to begin.
They said they stay in the Conneaut Harbor area every year.
Gary Coxon, chairman of the Conneaut Township Park Board, said the whole event started innocently enough. “Ten years ago a letter was written to me as park board chairman,” he said.
The letter was a request to use the park for the event and the board wrestled with the idea for awhile and finally decided to give it a shot and the rest is history, literally.
“It’s been a real blessing for the community,” Coxon said.
Conneaut City Manager Robert Schaumleffel Jr. said the event is great for the city. “This is a great opportunity to showcase Conneaut. There are probably four to five thousand people here,” he said.
Schaumleffel said from a personal standpoint it was moving because of the way the event honors those who gave the ultimate price.
“We are honoring the men and women who fought in World War II,” he said.
