thedrifter
08-05-06, 01:07 PM
Posted on Sat, Aug. 05, 2006
Surf's up for Camp Pendleton Marines
THOMAS WATKINS
Associated Press
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - The waves are big here. Not Hawaii big, but large enough to coax Ted Handler, a Marine major and special forces instructor, from bed well before dawn.
His outings go beyond mere indulgence in an adrenaline-fueled hobby - for Handler, surfing means survival.
"When you are surfing in bigger surf, you have to remain calm and make quick decisions and commit to those decisions," says the veteran of a combat tour in Iraq.
Surfers who go into the water unsure of themselves can be seriously hurt, says Handler. That, he adds, makes riding the waves a natural training maneuver for someone who is preparing for what Handler calls "the naturally chaotic environment of combat."
Indeed, the 37-year-old self-described surfing addict credits his pastime with helping keep him and his fellow Marines safe when, without maps and only limited communications, his platoon ran into enemy gunfire on the outskirts of Baghdad in 2003.
"A lot of people were freaking out," recalled Handler, who was a captain at the time. "But I found myself getting calmer. It's strange."
As he philosophizes about riding the waves, it is 11 a.m. on a warm July day and Handler is making his second visit to the surf. After his pre-dawn session he went about his duties on the base. Now he's on a break, which means it's time to surf again.
Handler is taking "the fish" into the water with him this time. Five-feet-10-inches long, with a cutaway tail that gives it its name, it is Handler's favorite of his seven surfboards.
Accompanying him in the water is his friend and surfing partner, Gunnery Sgt. Eric Franklin.
The Marines stride into the ocean and paddle their boards hard to get to where the water is rolling. Franklin stands up first, his 10-foot longboard latching onto a 5-foot wave. Handler is next, cutting tight turns.
The men are smiling, but back on shore Handler explains why surfing is important.
"In order to have a very violent and warrior-like mentality, you also need to cultivate the other side," he says. "The yin and the yang - you need to cultivate both, and surfing really does that for me."
For Franklin, joining the military and not surfing was never a consideration.
"I joined the Marine Corps to surf," says the 33-year-old communications specialist and Jacksonville, Fla., native who enlisted 13 years ago.
"I wanted to be closer to the beach, and to surf better waves than what Florida has," he said.
Camp Pendleton is the Marine Corps' largest West Coast expeditionary training facility, located between Los Angeles and San Diego and home to some 45,000 Marines and sailors.
The base spans more than 125,000 acres of rugged terrain, including 17 miles of shoreline that is dotted with some of the best surf breaks in the United States.
When people enlist in the Marines they are given a wish list of bases they want to be stationed at. In Franklin's case, he got his first choice and he's been here ever since. Handler joined him two years later.
Camp Pendleton's best waves are found at San Onofre Beach, one of two stretches of sand bookending the base. Del Mar Beach, on the southern end, is the other.
Both beaches (which are different from state and city beaches with similar names) are closed to the public, and only visitors accompanied by a service member are allowed on.
That limits the surfer population and makes both beaches perfect places to practice new moves or pick up skills.
"I can come out here and fall off my board in any direction and I won't hurt anyone," says Capt. Brian Cary, 32, a Cobra helicopter pilot about to deploy to the Marine Corps' base in Okinawa, Japan.
The number of Camp Pendleton surfers varies as troops are rotated on and off the base, but Franklin estimates there are currently about 150.
To boost camaraderie among them, and exchange surfing information, he founded the Camp Pendleton Surf Club three years ago. It now has about 40 members and has hosted surfing competitions that have attracted military personnel from around the country.
Sgt. Seth Cittel, whose father would send him surf magazines while he was stationed in Iraq in 2003, joined the club as soon as he got back to California.
"It helped clear the mind, it meant I didn't have to think about (Iraq) for a while," he said of surfing Pendleton's beaches.
As for Franklin, he'll soon be standing down as club president because he's being transferred from Camp Pendleton.
Fortunately for him he's going to an air station on the Mokapu Peninsula on Oahu, Hawaii, where the surf will still be up.
ON THE NET
Camp Pendleton Recreation: http://www.mccscamppendleton.com/recreation/outdoor_activities/beaches.html
Ellie
Surf's up for Camp Pendleton Marines
THOMAS WATKINS
Associated Press
CAMP PENDLETON, Calif. - The waves are big here. Not Hawaii big, but large enough to coax Ted Handler, a Marine major and special forces instructor, from bed well before dawn.
His outings go beyond mere indulgence in an adrenaline-fueled hobby - for Handler, surfing means survival.
"When you are surfing in bigger surf, you have to remain calm and make quick decisions and commit to those decisions," says the veteran of a combat tour in Iraq.
Surfers who go into the water unsure of themselves can be seriously hurt, says Handler. That, he adds, makes riding the waves a natural training maneuver for someone who is preparing for what Handler calls "the naturally chaotic environment of combat."
Indeed, the 37-year-old self-described surfing addict credits his pastime with helping keep him and his fellow Marines safe when, without maps and only limited communications, his platoon ran into enemy gunfire on the outskirts of Baghdad in 2003.
"A lot of people were freaking out," recalled Handler, who was a captain at the time. "But I found myself getting calmer. It's strange."
As he philosophizes about riding the waves, it is 11 a.m. on a warm July day and Handler is making his second visit to the surf. After his pre-dawn session he went about his duties on the base. Now he's on a break, which means it's time to surf again.
Handler is taking "the fish" into the water with him this time. Five-feet-10-inches long, with a cutaway tail that gives it its name, it is Handler's favorite of his seven surfboards.
Accompanying him in the water is his friend and surfing partner, Gunnery Sgt. Eric Franklin.
The Marines stride into the ocean and paddle their boards hard to get to where the water is rolling. Franklin stands up first, his 10-foot longboard latching onto a 5-foot wave. Handler is next, cutting tight turns.
The men are smiling, but back on shore Handler explains why surfing is important.
"In order to have a very violent and warrior-like mentality, you also need to cultivate the other side," he says. "The yin and the yang - you need to cultivate both, and surfing really does that for me."
For Franklin, joining the military and not surfing was never a consideration.
"I joined the Marine Corps to surf," says the 33-year-old communications specialist and Jacksonville, Fla., native who enlisted 13 years ago.
"I wanted to be closer to the beach, and to surf better waves than what Florida has," he said.
Camp Pendleton is the Marine Corps' largest West Coast expeditionary training facility, located between Los Angeles and San Diego and home to some 45,000 Marines and sailors.
The base spans more than 125,000 acres of rugged terrain, including 17 miles of shoreline that is dotted with some of the best surf breaks in the United States.
When people enlist in the Marines they are given a wish list of bases they want to be stationed at. In Franklin's case, he got his first choice and he's been here ever since. Handler joined him two years later.
Camp Pendleton's best waves are found at San Onofre Beach, one of two stretches of sand bookending the base. Del Mar Beach, on the southern end, is the other.
Both beaches (which are different from state and city beaches with similar names) are closed to the public, and only visitors accompanied by a service member are allowed on.
That limits the surfer population and makes both beaches perfect places to practice new moves or pick up skills.
"I can come out here and fall off my board in any direction and I won't hurt anyone," says Capt. Brian Cary, 32, a Cobra helicopter pilot about to deploy to the Marine Corps' base in Okinawa, Japan.
The number of Camp Pendleton surfers varies as troops are rotated on and off the base, but Franklin estimates there are currently about 150.
To boost camaraderie among them, and exchange surfing information, he founded the Camp Pendleton Surf Club three years ago. It now has about 40 members and has hosted surfing competitions that have attracted military personnel from around the country.
Sgt. Seth Cittel, whose father would send him surf magazines while he was stationed in Iraq in 2003, joined the club as soon as he got back to California.
"It helped clear the mind, it meant I didn't have to think about (Iraq) for a while," he said of surfing Pendleton's beaches.
As for Franklin, he'll soon be standing down as club president because he's being transferred from Camp Pendleton.
Fortunately for him he's going to an air station on the Mokapu Peninsula on Oahu, Hawaii, where the surf will still be up.
ON THE NET
Camp Pendleton Recreation: http://www.mccscamppendleton.com/recreation/outdoor_activities/beaches.html
Ellie