A man who likes being Custer

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Steve Alexander is interviewed in today's Detroit Free Press. The interviewer certainly seems to approach the topic with a somewhat jaundiced eye. Here's a brief excerpt:

Q: Forgive me for saying this -- I'm certainly no historian -- you probably get this question all the time, but wasn't Custer a loser?

A: Only on the last day of his life. Prior to that, you have to understand, you have these cynics who would try to fault him for being the last in his class at the academy at West Point. ... But they seem to mistake that most people don't even get accepted into West Point.

Q: Aside from reenactments, do you ever dress up like Custer for the heck of it and walk around town? Pop into a 7-Eleven?

A: I'll be absolutely honest about this. And I know that you have a tendency to want to sensationalize this. I only dress up as Gen. Custer when I'm called upon to do it. I know you've got to think I'm some kind of wacko, but the truth is, the only time that I do" dress up is when "I'm doing my performance. ... I'm not like the guy who gets dressed up and says, "Let's go down and shake up the restaurant" and walks in dressed as Abraham Lincoln.

The full story:

www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080921/NEWS05/809210448/1007/NEWS05

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[Treasuredude]

Back in 2001 I took my son with me to the battlefield over the anniversary. He was bored out of his mind. We went to the CBHMA field trip which was a living history encampment on the site of the Indian village. My son was rolling his eyes and stammering and basically wanting to be anywhere but there.

Steve Alexander talked to him, showed him his guns, and took the time to visit. My son still mentions it. Steve probably doesn't remember it but I sure do. He is a class act.