About Remembering WWII
What began as a small evening gathering in 2012 to honor a local WWII veteran has grown into one of Tennessee’s most celebrated living history events — rooted in a deep conviction that the stories of the Greatest Generation deserve to be heard.
where it all began
A simple act of honor.
In 2012, the Anthony Courter family had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Richard Coburn, a WWII veteran from their hometown of Linden, Tennessee. After hearing his story, they gathered friends together for an evening of music, stories, and history — honoring Mr. Coburn and inspiring others to remember the veterans living down their local streets.
The evening was a success. In 2013, a similar event honored Mr. Edgar Harrell — a USMC veteran and USS Indianapolis survivor from Nashville. What began as a small gathering had become something much larger than anyone anticipated.
In 2014, Remembering WWII was born.
2014
Vision and Mission
Vision
Remembering WWII exists to glorify God through the faithful stewardship of the historical record of the Second World War. Our desire is to honor the men who have gone before, foster inter-generational connectedness, and promote a deeper love for and understanding of God’s providential hand in history, while proclaiming the truth of the hope that comes only through the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Mission
We seek to accomplish our mission through three overlapping focus points:
Living History
History is best taught by those who lived it, and our foremost “living historians” are the many WWII veterans who attend Remembering WWII. We seek to provide a high-quality, immersive reenactment experience, not for the purpose of glorifying war or escaping into the past, but rather to bring alive for our attendees the realities of the stories they hear from these living historians.
Education
It is often said that “those who do not remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” We believe that the better we understand history, the better we will be equipped to chart a straight course for the future, avoiding the mistakes of our forefathers, while building upon their accomplishments.
As Christians, we believe that all of history is the story of God’s work among men, and that any time period can only be truly understood in that context. However, we do not seek to provide an end-all viewpoint on history in general, or of the events of WWII, but rather to plant the seeds for a love of history that will prompt individuals to dig deeper into the historical record themselves.
Our educational approach is multi-faceted, primarily focused on first-hand stories from our veterans, but supported and enhanced by special speakers, printed materials, and the sights and sounds (and even tastes and smells) of the 1940s through musical performance, period food & drink, the reenactment battles, and recreated 1940s town,
and many other activities.
We also believe that the best education is achieved within the context of personal relationships, and to that end, seek to foster meaningful relational connections between our attendees, veterans, reenactors,
local community, and volunteers.
Honor
Our chief emphasis and goal is to honor the men and women who became known as “The Greatest Generation”. Remembering WWII exists largely to provide an opportunity not only for our attendees to learn from these men and women of character, but also to show gratitude to them in a small way for their integrity and
commitment to duty and freedom.
This goal is based on a broader belief that man was created in the image of God, and therefore every person is due respect. At Remembering WWII we seek to create an atmosphere of honor and good conduct that extends not only to the veterans, but to each and every person in attendance, every member of our volunteer corps, and the residents of the town of Linden.
Over a decade of living history
Be part of the story.
Whether you’re coming to witness history, participate as a reenactor, or honor the Greatest Generation, we’d love to have you with us on September 26, 2026, in downtown Linden, Tennessee.