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Editor’s Note: For this week’s column, we talked to David T. Savoie, a local World War II reenactor, who frequently attends the town’s annual Veterans Day and Memorial Day observances, wearing a replica World War II paratrooper uniform with a helmet while carrying replica gear. Savoie, 67, grew up in Salem and is a 1974 graduate of Salem High School. He lives with his wife, Janice, and their daughter, Heather, in a home on Westland Avenue. He and Janice (Marquis), a Saugus native and 1975 Saugus High School graduate, celebrated their 30th wedding anniversary last Sept. 30. They own and live in the home that Janice grew up in. Savoie was a truck driver for 22 years and later got into the IT business, becoming a computer technician and a cell phone technician. He’s a licensed minister and has been involved in reenactment as an Army chaplain for about 12 years. He has done volunteer work with the Saugus Veterans Council, serving as an acting chaplain at various functions. He considers himself an honorary member of the council. Highlights of this week’s interview follow.
Q: I always see you around Saugus, dressed up as a World War II paratrooper on the patriotic holidays – Memorial Day and Veterans Day. Are you a veteran?
A: No, I’m not a veteran. I have two brothers who are veterans. My brother Marc was in the Air Force during the Vietnam War Era, stateside. My brother Julien was in the Navy, and my dad served in World War II as a Canadian medic. He passed away when I was 12, leaving my mom to raise four boys. My mom lived to be 102.
Q: Please tell me a little bit about your dad.
A: Joseph Albenie Savoie. Nobody called him Joseph. He was born in Lynn, Mass., but raised in Canada. My grandmother had him when she was pregnant in the U.S. and visiting people in Lynn. He signed up in 1939 and became part of the Royal Canadian Med. Corps. He was in Dunkirk, North Africa, Normandy and went all the way to Berlin.
My dad’s two brothers were also in the military. My Uncle Mike was a bomber pilot with the Royal Canadian Air Force. His younger brother Nazaire was also a member of the Royal Canadian Air Force.
Q: You are not a veteran, but you are dressed up like a soldier when you attend the patriotic holidays in Saugus. Would it be an understatement to call you a patriotic person?
A: I’m definitely patriotic. I was born on the Fourth of July. Maybe that has something to do with it. I’ve always had a thing for playing “Army” as a little kid. We played “Army” as kids in the 60s. I love the history of the military. And I always watched “Combat” on TV.
Q: How many years have you been doing reenacting?
A: About 17 or 18 years.
Q: How did you get involved in it?
A: I’ve always had a big heart for the veterans. I’ve always loved watching World War II movies. When the HBO “Band of Brothers” series about paratroopers came out, that got me going. There was a 10-part series about Easy Company in the 506th Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division. I joined the 101st Airborne E Company Reenactors. I’m a history nut, and I started reading books about Airborne. I ended up joining a few different groups over the years.
Q: So, what do you get out of it?
A: I got to meet a lot of veteran paratroopers from World War II. The younger guys like to go out, have fun and shoot guns. But the reason I enjoy doing this is to honor the veterans.
Q: What kind of reaction do you get from Saugus people when you attend the events as a reenactor?
A: They cheer us on. They love seeing us and they like it when we do the 21-gun salutes at ceremonies on Memorial Day. The reaction from people is very positive, and the people thank us for our service. Some people actually think we are military.
Q: What’s the shelf life of a World War II reenactor?
A: It can go on for a while. I’ve seen guys in their 70s and 80s still doing reenacting. I know a guy who is 76 years old and still doing it. He’s been doing it for 30 years or more – maybe longer. He’s from Nashua, N.H.
Q: How long will you continue to do this?
A: As long as I can – as long as my body keeps me going. I’ve done the chaplain impression. I’ve also done the infantry impression. I’m a licensed minister, and I do services for the reenactors. I’ve been doing some reenacting with a small group called World War III Airborne Misdrops. There’s about 10 people in the group. During the D-Day invasion, there were some soldiers who missed their drop zones. We wanted to represent those soldiers who missed their drop zones.
Q: What’s the most exciting thing you have done as a World War II reenactor?
A: The most exciting thing for me was to help give a World War II veteran tank driver a chance to get in a Sherman tank again. Joe Busa, a tank driver in General Patton’s Army, told me he wanted to get into a Sherman tank. The American Heritage Museum in Hudson, Mass., set it up for me.
Q: How many events does a reenactor do in the course of a year?
A: We could do one every month. But we usually do five or six a year. We do some training exercises during the year out in the woods.
Q: What’s the farthest you have gone for a reenactment?
A: Fort Indiantown Gap in Annville, Pa. It’s an Army base in Pennsylvania. We’d stay in the original barracks from World War II. I’ve gone there about four times. They stopped doing it about four years ago. When I first started doing it about 16 years ago, there were about five or six barracks full of World War II veterans. Each barrack had about six people. The last time I went, there were only five World War II veterans left.
Q: So, as you look back on your career as a World War II reenactor, what’s the big draw for you? Why do you get so much satisfaction doing this?
A: Number One, we want to honor the veterans. I have a huge heart for the veterans. And there’s a sense of camaraderie. You get involved and make a lot of friends from all over.
Like World War II Reenactor Chaplain Assembly on Facebook – I created it on Oct. 29, 2011. I created it and it’s still going. People from all over the world are on it.
I’m a licensed minister and I do services for the reenactors. I did a wedding on the battleship USS Massachusetts in Fall River, right under the big gun. Everybody was dressed in 40s attire. All of the girls had polka dot dresses.
Q: Anything else that you would like to share as you look ahead to Veterans Day later this week?
A: I just want to make sure that we’re keeping history alive – especially for the young people out there. We as Americans need to recognize these veterans and keep their memories alive. Reenacting to me is all about honoring the veterans. I’m hoping that younger people get involved and feel free to join a reenactment group and learn about history. It’s important to keep history alive.
