Huntington Militia Preserves the Past, Looks to the Future

Patrick Mantle is unlike most Huntington Militia members.

In 2016, at the age of 25, Mantle was elected commander of Huntington’s reenacting coalition, a pastime that does not typically draw in those around his age.

“Reenacting, for the longest time, has always attracted older men,” Mantle said. “It’s been retired men. They have the time and have also accumulated enough wealth that they can now purchase all of the clothing and equipment to do reenacting. What I always say is that whatever you’re going to pay in cash, you’re going to get back dividends in the experience.”

Anyone can achieve the fulfilling exposure to American history received as a member of the Huntington Militia.

“We’re looking for anyone,” Mantle said. “We’re looking for men of all ages, women and children. We are a family-oriented organization. You have to be 16 or older in order to carry a musket. Children who are younger can still learn the ropes of what it’s like to be a reenactor. They can [use] a toy, wooden musket. They can learn a craft or a trade.”

Although mimicking a century-old lifestyle might seem enticing by its very nature, military reenactment organizations’ goals delve deeper than simply role-playing.

“We are invested in the history of our nation,” Mantle said. “We are a democratic republic, which means that the citizens here are actively involved in running the show. Part of that is protecting our history. I think it’s a civic obligation to do that. It’s our job to preserve history, so we know where we came from and now we have a better understanding of where we’re going.”

However, that does not warrant an attachment to the past.

“We shouldn’t dwell on it,” Mantle said. “We shouldn’t be stuck in the past. But we should honor what should be honored from our past, observe the problems that we’ve had in our past, accept those problems for what they are and move forward.”

Joining the Huntington Militia, which costs just $10 a year, allows a member to honor the town, one that has a foothold in American Revolutionary War tells.

“What we want to do is to tell the stories of Long Islanders,” Mantle said. “People in Huntington, what they went through leading up, during and after the Revolutionary War. We’ll do it in a way that is safe for us, safe for the public. Highlight chapters of American history that will benefit the public and bridge that gap of what people read in books or seen in movies or learned in school. We’re going to take that to the [next] step and bring it to life.”

On Sunday, the militia will re-enact events of July 22, 1776, when word of the Declaration of Independence reached Huntington. It will welcome visitors to the re-enactment at the Huntington Arsenal and Village Green, 425 Park Ave., Huntington, from noon to 4 p.m.

Huntington Militia Members – Courtesy of Chris Lauterbach

Huntington Militia Re-Enacts Word of the Declaration of Independence