|
|
|
|
All materials contained in this blog are protected by copyright laws, and may not be reproduced, republished, distributed, transmitted, displayed, broadcast
or otherwise exploited in any manner without the express prior written permission of the owner, the author, authors or sources of said materials.
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
|---|
HURRICANE LARRY Trailer.mp4 from SURF FREE OR DIE on Vimeo.
Three days of overhead surf. That's what Larry brought to our shores. September 12th, 2021 The RUN is 4 out of 4 Weeks.
|
Send your SURF Pics to me directly to ralph@adlantic.com. Need photos by 10 AM on Saturdays. Seriously. By 10AM. Make sure they are 1300 pixels wide. If you have more than 10 pics please use wetransfer.com it's free up to 2 gig. Please DO NOT send me over 50 pics without first contacting and communicating with me. Thank you. Click on Archives link to see all the past Blogs and pics. |
 |
 |
|
|
TWENTY YEARS 2001-2021 Photos above taken at the same spot at the exact same time only 20 years later. Hurricane Erin and Hurricane Larry.
For those of us who are old enough to remember, September 11th, 2001 was a day that none of us will ever forget. I can recall with vivid and clear images in my memory, the horrors of that day. As a surfer here on the NH seacoast, we were all anticipating the waves from Hurricane Erin off the coast. Just as I was about to enter the water that morning at 8:15AM, I was told that it was freezing. So I went back home to grab my booties and gloves. When I walked into the house, my wife Cory was standing next to the small TV in our kitchen and said, that a plane had hit the WTC in NY. Like most of you, I thought it was a small plane that had somehow veered off course. As we both stood there watching the smoke billow out of the tower, we watched in horror as the second plane hit WTC 2. I turned to my wife and said “We’re at war! This is war!” We watched in absolute disbelief for about 20 minutes and then I said, “I need to go back down to the ocean to let everyone know. They don’t know what’s going on.” And I kissed my wife and took off down to the ocean. The surreal look of that day was not wasted on any of us. The cloudless blue sky here in NH with absolute flawless and perfect hurricane waves just pouring onto our beaches, juxtaposed with the scenes of horror in NYC was too much to comprehend. I went into combat photographer mode and started to document what was happening in our small world on that day. The video I shot that day will forever be one of the most historical surf videos I have ever made. It was a modern day Pearl Harbor. Watching and hearing about the incredible bravery of the NYC Firefighters, Police, and first responders was both inspiring and tragic. The same with those who jumped into action at the Pentagon. And the absolute courageous acts of bravery by everyday civilians aboard Flt 93 in Pennsylvania was nothing short of awe inspiring acts of hope and love. Love of our country and of our fellow man. And I was right about us going to war. Because September 11th, 2001 was the first day of the Global War On Terrorism. As President George W. Bush said in his speech that night to the American People. “We will make no distinction between the terrorists who committed these acts, and those who harbored them.” And as we later found out, the terrorists who committed these cowardly acts were Al Qeada. And those who harbored them, were The Taliban. And they were all situated in Afghanistan. So for those who have questioned why we were in Afghanistan for 20 years? There’s your answer. Go back and read that again. American forces and our allies routed and virtually wiped out Al Qeada. We killed Osama Bin Laden and captured the mastermind of 9-11, Khalid Sheikh Mohammed. There have been NO terrorists attacks on our shores since 9-11. And we kept the Taliban at bay and allowed Afghanistan to grow and prosper without the threat of terrorism. Especially the young girls and women, who were treated horribly by the brutal Taliban. There’s not a single woman or young girl in Afghanistan today, who are happy with the Taliban being back in power. Not a single one. As a Vietnam veteran who watched the Fall of Saigon in 1975 and questioned my own service there as well as the millions of others who served during the 10 years we were there. We are watching history repeat itself with the Fall of Kabul. When the communists took over South Vietnam, millions were sent to REEDUCATION CAMPS (POW Camps) and thousands were murdered outright. While millions more fled the country. Re: Boat People, and any other means necessary so they could escape the communists. The same is happening today in Afghanistan. Think about it. We went from removing the Terrorists and the Taliban for the last twenty years, to replacing them with the Terrorists and the Taliban. Does that make sense to anyone out there? I mean seriously, does it? Oh hell no! The GWOT is as big as WWII. When Nazi Germany surrendered we kept a military presence in Germany and throughout Europe that is still there today. When Japan surrendered we did the same. When the Korean War truce was signed, we kept our military there in South Korea. Is there any doubt in anyone’s mind that if we were not still there that North Korea would attack and take over South Korea?
The bottom line is this. Twenty years after September 11th, 2001 the Taliban and the Terrorists are back in Afghanistan. The real question remains. How long before the Taliban and the Terrorists hatch another plan to attack America? It's not a question of if, but when.
Back when I was Commander at American legion Post 35 of the Hamptons, I was asked by a local reporter after our GWOT Monument dedication on September 11th in 2006. “What will you do after the Global War On Terrorism is over?” My answer then, is the same as it is today. “There is no end to the Global War On Terrorism. There are terrorists who have not been born yet, that our children and grandchildren will be fighting.
The Global War On Terrorism, is forever.” Today, we are a divided nation. Twenty years ago, we all came together as one. I pray it doesn’t take another 9-11 to bring us all together again. Meanwhile let us remember the fallen from that awful day, and those who have sacrificed their lives in the Global War On Terrorism in the last twenty years.  This photo of me by Martha Lardent was taken on Saturday September 11th, 2021 at the American Legion Post 35 here in Hampton. *Another reason why the Blog is late this week. I shot video and stills of the service. May we never ever forget. Oh, and it wouldn't hurt to Pray for Peace.  Every September 11th we meet here. For twenty years. Johnny Meehan, myself, Markey Jowett, and Tony Berardini all show up at the exact spot we were all surfing that day. We will meet again next year. And the next year, and the next year, until we are no longer able to. We won't forget.
"SURFING HURRICANE LARRY HEALS ALL WOUNDS."
|
|
|
|
|
 To contact the advertisers below, simply click on the Ad itself. Anyone wishing to find out info about advertising here can do so by emailing me directly by clicking here. Ralph's Email I'll send you a template and other info on how you can become a paid sponsor We highly recommend the various businesses and artists listed below. Why? Well simply put, each and every one of them is a Surfer, who lives the Surfing Lifestyle, and their business is a reflection of that lifestyle that we all love. |
 |
|
| All PHOTOS BELOW SHOT THIS WEEK *Unless otherwise noted. | |
Today- HURRICANE LARRY DAY I |
|
|
 Click on the ad above to see the Menu and other important info on all their Somerville restaurant
|
|
 |
|
  "BEST EAST COAST SURF COVERAGE" |
|
|
|
