Surfing during the Vietnam War
and the healing power of wave riding
Suggestions or corrections? email: surfupguy.vietnamexhibit@gmail.com
Our "soft opening" on Memorial Day was an amazing success, with veterans and their families visiting all day long! Special visitors included Joe Giannini, Ed Hlava, Jim Lischer, Dave Hazlett, Lowell Grimaud, Kurt McFadden, and the families of Jerry Shine and Henry Trulson.
China Beach: Surfing During the Vietnam War and the Healing Power of Waveriding explores the surfing experience during the conflict in Southeast Asia.
This little-known but fascinating story of surfing at R & R spots in Vietnam (like the famous China Beach) is presented from the perspective of surfers serving “in-country.” Because it was such a personal experience, the story is primarily told from the veteran’s point of view – in their own words.
The exhibit depicts the unique surfing experience of the era - what it meant to those veterans, and how they were able to use surfing as a healing mechanism both during the war and after they returned.
Vietnam surfing veterans were consulted in every step of this installation. The lifeguard stand and China Beach Surf Club structure are authentic replicas, based on photographs and original blueprints. The surfboards are period pieces and the military materials are personal equipment loaned to the museum.
The war in Vietnam came at a time of great upheaval both for surfing and in the world at large. The years from 1965 to 1973 saw a massive and radical change – in politics, surfboard design, music and culture. This exhibit explores the War’s effects on the surfers who served there, and the changes that occurred in surfing during the years of conflict.
China Beach - the title of the exhibit - was taken from the best known rest and recuperation station in Vietnam, a wave strewn coastal sanctuary that provided a short but badly needed respite from combat. It was also the title of a highly authentic dramatic television series which made China Beach a household name to a public who had never encountered the actual Southeast Asia locale.
While we honor the veterans of this (and all American wars) the installation is not about the Vietnam War – it is about surfers who served there - the lifeguards, nurses, Australian servicemen, surfboard shapers, and wave riders. Along with honoring these individuals, the exhibit presents a variety of related topics: how surfers got their boards to Vietnam, the perspective of surfers on the home front, how Hollywood films depicted surfing during the conflict and the waves of Vietnam themselves.
Most of all China Beach reveals the healing power of waveriding for which the Vietnam War and surfing will forever be linked. We hope you enjoy the exhibit.
Aloha,
Jim Kempton, Curator
President, California Surf Museum
Dave Scott, KUSI News, gets a pre-opening look at the exhibit before Memorial Day.
top: Vietnam chaplain Lowell Grimaud leads a blessing at the day's start.
How this exhibit came about...
The arts and humanities play a vital role in helping connect people through the human experience. When men and women serve their country in time of war, the question of what we owe each other becomes critical, and urgent. In this wonderful country we have long lived with the consequences of war, and yet the public at large does not always understand or appreciate the long-term consequences faced by our returning servicemen.
The California Surf Museum’s 2017-2018 exhibit, “China Beach: The Story of Surfers during the Vietnam War and the Healing Power of Wave-riding” is a powerful compilation of images and recollections that focuses on hundreds of veterans who surfed in Vietnam during the war, and how they subsequently used the surfing lifestyle as a way to overcome and help heal the trauma they faced overseas.
Years ago surfers Ty Ponder, Scott Bass and Troy Page created a powerful documentary called Between the Lines. Even though it was not a surf movie per se, the story line was driven by two very different surfers -one who chose to go to war, and one who evaded the draft - and how each dealt with the consequences of their choices, four decades later. Over the years the California Surf Museum has wondered how many other remarkable first-hand stories were out there.
The idea for this exhibit began to take shape over many years, when those of us at the museum occasionally got feedback from a veteran who mentioned that he had surfed in Vietnam during the war, and how significant that experience had been to his mental and physical health. He had the opportunity to relax at the beach with a handful of buddies, to sit on a board and wait for a wave, to catch that wave and ride it to shore – and that experience helped him reclaim a bit of his sanity. In addition, no matter what branch of service he was in, each veteran had his own take on what surfing meant to him upon his return. Many commented that they were able to use surfing as a healing mechanism.
Fifty-plus years after the Vietnam War, the California Surf Museum exhibit committee began to research and interview veterans for the purpose of telling the story. This publication, In Their Own Words, contains the photos and recollections of the men and women we interviewed.
Thank you to all who served in Vietnam.
Welcome Home.