Some stories should never fade away.

Together with my cousin, we would like to create a new reenactment club dedicated to the 8th Armored Division of the United States Army — the “Thundering Herd.” We are both lifelong enthusiasts of military history, especially the history of the Second World War. But for us, this project is not only about uniforms, vehicles, or historical displays. It is about memory. It is about gratitude. It is about honoring the men who crossed an ocean, fought through Europe, and helped bring freedom back to a continent that had almost lost it.

The 8th Armored Division was activated at Fort Knox, Kentucky, on April 1, 1942. In late 1944 it deployed to Europe, and in 1945 it fought in the final campaigns against Nazi Germany, including operations in the Rhineland and Central Europe. The division crossed into Germany, took part in hard fighting around the Ruhr and the Harz Mountains, and helped liberate the Halberstadt-Zwieberge subcamp of Buchenwald. After Victory in Europe, units of the division moved into western Czechoslovakia, including the Pilsen region.

For many people in the Czech lands, the presence of the U.S. Army in 1945 became a forbidden memory during more than forty years of communist rule. The stories of American soldiers who helped liberate western Bohemia could not be freely told. Today, that silence has finally been broken. Events such as the Liberation Festival in Pilsen bring together veterans’ families, historians, reenactors, military vehicle owners, and thousands of visitors to remember the liberation by the U.S. Army.

Our goal is to create a club that will carry this memory forward with dignity and authenticity.

This will not be just “playing soldiers” at a few events each year. We want to build something deeper: a living history project that educates, commemorates, and connects people with the real human stories behind the uniforms. We plan to organize educational programs for schools, visit historic battlefields, cooperate with local municipalities, and — where possible — help install memorial plaques dedicated to the soldiers and events connected with the 8th Armored Division. If everything goes according to plan, we also hope to write a book about the division and its journey through Europe.

The support from this crowdfunding campaign would help us take the first crucial steps: purchasing our first historical vehicle, obtaining authentic equipment, building displays, and launching the club in a way that respects the history we want to represent.

We are starting this project because we believe remembrance is a responsibility. The men of the 8th Armored Division were young, far from home, and facing a brutal war. Many never returned. Those who did carried their memories for the rest of their lives. Today, it is our turn to carry their story.

Thank you to everyone for supporting our dream.

Note: This is a long term project, estimated creation of club is in 2028