scarcer . “ When the whole tearing down monuments and statues thing began is when it started ,” Green said , adding that today ’ s political climate has made it difficult and even dangerous for anyone who dons Confederate gear for these events . Many sites have canceled events altogether , due to threats from protestors and others . “ It ’ s very unfortunate , given the lost opportunities to learn about history and to learn from it .
“ People speak of World War II vets as the greatest generation , and they certainly deserve that title , but for me the men who fought for the Union were the greatest generation as well , because they saved the country ,” he added . “ They deserve that title just as much as the WWII soldiers .”
Both Green and his wife are originally from Oklahoma , and after 30 years on the East Coast they opted to return to Norman . Both are graduates of the University of Oklahoma , and are self-described “ huge sports fans , especially softball .” Now semi-retired , Green is also a
Portrait of Mark Green during reenactment . former editorial writer for The Daily Oklahoman , and writes blogs for the American Petroleum Institute .
Meanwhile , he looks back on his reenactment experiences with great fondness .
“ I feel good about it . I feel ( the Civil War ) is a part of our history that ’ s underappreciated now ,” he said . “ I feel that we added a dimension to history and an experience that can ’ t be gotten in books .”
RIGHT : Uniform and rifle from civil war reenactment .
Photo by Staci Elder Hensley
NormanMagazine . com | JANUARY / FEBRUARY 2022 11