thedrifter
05-06-07, 09:25 AM
Posted on Sun, May. 06, 2007
A spectacle of twists and turns: oohs, aahs
BY DIANA MOSKOVITZ AND ALIZA APPELBAUM
Marines stormed the beach. Bombers streaked overhead. Military recruiters worked the streets.
The McDonald's Air & Sea Show, that once-a-year mix of beachside partying and military recruiting, returned to Fort Lauderdale beach this weekend.
And, for the 13th year in a row, bodies packed Fort Lauderdale beach Saturday, and gleaming white boats filled the ocean with people eager to see the spectacle.
The show continues from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, with water events generally in the morning and air events in the afternoon. The assault on the beach, which includes a platoon of Marines charging out of Navy hovercraft while planes and copters circle overhead, will likely take place about 11:25 a.m.
Bring water, wear sunscreen and expect crowds.
On Saturday, Linda Richardson and her 14-year-old son, Shane, arrived at 7:30 a.m. to make sure they got prime seats right behind a fenced-off area near a lifeguard stand.
Shane couldn't wait for the Marine beach landing.
''It's so cool how they act out the attack,'' Shane said. ``It makes me want to do it one day.''
Recruiters working the event were looking for just that kind of reaction.
As the war in Iraq has continued, the military has struggled to meet its recruiting goals, and the quality of the recruiting crop has been questioned. For instance, the number of Army recruits without a high school diploma is at its highest point in decades, according to an analysis published in October in the independent newspaper Army Times.
So such events as the Air & Sea Show represent a chance for recruiters to sell the service to enlistment-age young people.
Or as Army recruiter Sgt. 1st Class Raico Dozier put it before the show, the event is an ``opportunity to tell what the Army has to offer and not just what's going on in the Middle East.''
Dozier added, ``That's probably the major obstacle to overcome. That's why it's important for people to get a one-on-one with individual soldiers so they can hear from the individual what life is like.''
The corner of State Road A1A and Sunrise Boulevard was recruitment central, where several groups pitched tents, challenged visitors with physical contests and handed out free merchandise, including T-shirts and bumper stickers.
SETTING RECORDS
One hard-to-miss tent belonged to the Marine Corps. Flanked by giant blow-up Marines, arms crossed and faces stern, the Marine tent had everything, including Semper Fi bumper stickers and ''the few the proud'' neck lanyards. A Hummer blasted hip-hop music, like Jay-Z's 99 problems -- edited for family consumption, of course.
The draw: a pull-up competition. At 2 p.m., the record for men was 26. For women, the challenge was how long they could hold themselves above the bar. That record was one minute, 13 seconds.
The more pull ups or the longer a person stayed up, the better their prize.
Almost a record holder, Joey Gargiulo, 58, did 25 pull ups. The Fort Lauderdale resident isn't a Marine. He said he just likes to work out.
When he saw the booth, Gargiulo figured ''it looked like fun,'' he said.
But before a person could enter, they had to fill out a form with their name and contact information. They also could check a box if they wanted more information about the Marines.
The Marines would contact anyone who checked the box, said Sgt. Jay Edwards, a Marine recruiter stationed in Plantation.
Among the men helping with recruitment was Cordero Fruster. The 18-year-old from Fort Lauderdale will join the Marines in July, he said.
He volunteered on Saturday, because ''I'm excited to start serving my country,'' Fruster said.
Even at 1 p.m., buses filled with people snaked their way through crowded Sunrise Boulevard, delivering people to the show from parking lots elsewhere in Fort Lauderdale. A1A itself is closed to traffic in the show area.
With the sands packed, Rae Pufal, 31, and Sheri Rausseo, 41, staked out a swath concrete along A1A, waiting for friends to join them as they shared Jell-O shots.
`SIT BACK, RELAX'
''I like to people-watch. Sit back, relax, enjoy some personal entertainment,'' said Rausseo, of Fort Lauderdale.
Thomas Santos, 11, and dad Mauro Santos, 47, of Miami, stood atop a seawall for the best view.
With the show's program in his hands, Thomas knew each plane flying overhead.
''Do I have to choose?'' Thomas replied when asked to name a favorite, preferring to say his favorite was ``all of them so far.''
Ellie
A spectacle of twists and turns: oohs, aahs
BY DIANA MOSKOVITZ AND ALIZA APPELBAUM
Marines stormed the beach. Bombers streaked overhead. Military recruiters worked the streets.
The McDonald's Air & Sea Show, that once-a-year mix of beachside partying and military recruiting, returned to Fort Lauderdale beach this weekend.
And, for the 13th year in a row, bodies packed Fort Lauderdale beach Saturday, and gleaming white boats filled the ocean with people eager to see the spectacle.
The show continues from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. today, with water events generally in the morning and air events in the afternoon. The assault on the beach, which includes a platoon of Marines charging out of Navy hovercraft while planes and copters circle overhead, will likely take place about 11:25 a.m.
Bring water, wear sunscreen and expect crowds.
On Saturday, Linda Richardson and her 14-year-old son, Shane, arrived at 7:30 a.m. to make sure they got prime seats right behind a fenced-off area near a lifeguard stand.
Shane couldn't wait for the Marine beach landing.
''It's so cool how they act out the attack,'' Shane said. ``It makes me want to do it one day.''
Recruiters working the event were looking for just that kind of reaction.
As the war in Iraq has continued, the military has struggled to meet its recruiting goals, and the quality of the recruiting crop has been questioned. For instance, the number of Army recruits without a high school diploma is at its highest point in decades, according to an analysis published in October in the independent newspaper Army Times.
So such events as the Air & Sea Show represent a chance for recruiters to sell the service to enlistment-age young people.
Or as Army recruiter Sgt. 1st Class Raico Dozier put it before the show, the event is an ``opportunity to tell what the Army has to offer and not just what's going on in the Middle East.''
Dozier added, ``That's probably the major obstacle to overcome. That's why it's important for people to get a one-on-one with individual soldiers so they can hear from the individual what life is like.''
The corner of State Road A1A and Sunrise Boulevard was recruitment central, where several groups pitched tents, challenged visitors with physical contests and handed out free merchandise, including T-shirts and bumper stickers.
SETTING RECORDS
One hard-to-miss tent belonged to the Marine Corps. Flanked by giant blow-up Marines, arms crossed and faces stern, the Marine tent had everything, including Semper Fi bumper stickers and ''the few the proud'' neck lanyards. A Hummer blasted hip-hop music, like Jay-Z's 99 problems -- edited for family consumption, of course.
The draw: a pull-up competition. At 2 p.m., the record for men was 26. For women, the challenge was how long they could hold themselves above the bar. That record was one minute, 13 seconds.
The more pull ups or the longer a person stayed up, the better their prize.
Almost a record holder, Joey Gargiulo, 58, did 25 pull ups. The Fort Lauderdale resident isn't a Marine. He said he just likes to work out.
When he saw the booth, Gargiulo figured ''it looked like fun,'' he said.
But before a person could enter, they had to fill out a form with their name and contact information. They also could check a box if they wanted more information about the Marines.
The Marines would contact anyone who checked the box, said Sgt. Jay Edwards, a Marine recruiter stationed in Plantation.
Among the men helping with recruitment was Cordero Fruster. The 18-year-old from Fort Lauderdale will join the Marines in July, he said.
He volunteered on Saturday, because ''I'm excited to start serving my country,'' Fruster said.
Even at 1 p.m., buses filled with people snaked their way through crowded Sunrise Boulevard, delivering people to the show from parking lots elsewhere in Fort Lauderdale. A1A itself is closed to traffic in the show area.
With the sands packed, Rae Pufal, 31, and Sheri Rausseo, 41, staked out a swath concrete along A1A, waiting for friends to join them as they shared Jell-O shots.
`SIT BACK, RELAX'
''I like to people-watch. Sit back, relax, enjoy some personal entertainment,'' said Rausseo, of Fort Lauderdale.
Thomas Santos, 11, and dad Mauro Santos, 47, of Miami, stood atop a seawall for the best view.
With the show's program in his hands, Thomas knew each plane flying overhead.
''Do I have to choose?'' Thomas replied when asked to name a favorite, preferring to say his favorite was ``all of them so far.''
Ellie