Memorial Day Weekend

Not sure what this day, or this weekend means to most of you, but for me, and a bunch of you out there, it's a time to stop and reflect on those who have lost their lives while in the service of our country. I know I sound a bit old fashioned to some of you, but truth be told, I have lost friends in combat. Lost as in gone from this earth, forever. 

I am always surprised when I hear of people I know, that are of a certain age, that should know the significance of this day, yet they have no idea or clue as to what this day is all about. I mean honestly? Everyone should know. Young and old.

For you 20 something's out there, you must have friends who have served, or is serving, who may or may not be, in harms way. And some of you I know, have also lost loved ones and friends in the many wars we have lived through. 

Let's face it. Some of us older surfers are from the baby boomer generation. We were spawned from our WWII parents that put us right smack into the Vietnam war era. Our moms and dads served in WWII and Korea. Vietnam lasted 10 years. So there's a good chance that some of you either served, or surfed, during that time period.

I did both. As did local surf photographer Ed O'Connell. After all, Vietnam was a surf war. In fact, it was the first surf war. 

During the sixties, hundreds of thousands of surfers served in the military. Most were drafted, but there were plenty of others who enlisted. We surfed and we served. And like all wars, some never made it back. It's hard to think of surfers fighting and dying in a war. Ed O'Connell saved many lives during his tour in Vietnam. 

Ed was a medic who saw his fair share of action. Ed flew into some hot LZ's to pick up wounded soldiers. He saved many a young life. He may have saved a surfer or two, who lived another day, to surf another day. 

But from 1965 to 1975, plenty of surfers lost their lives in Nam.

Like Joe Somogyi from Hampton. Joe died of exposure to Agent Orange that was sprayed in places he served in Vietnam in 1969. He died in 1978. Joe helped name a lot of the surf breaks that we all surf. 

He was something very special to those of us who knew him. There is not a single Memorial Day that goes by that I don't think of him. In fact, I think of him often. Man he is missed by many.

Then there's Danny Healy a US Navy SEAL from Exeter, NH. He died in Afghanistan trying to rescue four of his men on a mountain surrounded by Taliban fighters on June 25th, 2005. Danny was a local surfer. He left behind a loving family who miss him every single day.

Dan's name is engraved on the monument in front of the American Legion Post 35 in Hampton. This Memorial Day, stop and think of the many thousands of Americans like Dan, who sacrificed their lives for our very freedom. And think of their families they left behind. Because, they too have sacrificed.

Speaking of sacrifices. There's a benefit at Hampton's Flatbread Company on June 18th, 2013 from 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. to help sponsor the local American Legion Post 35 and their Wounded Warriors projects like HIT THE BEACH.