The horrors of the Vietnam War took a serious toll on Michael Ricci, but nothing could stop the combat-decorated veteran from showing the world that no challenge is insurmountable.
An athletic young man who spent summers surfing at the Jersey Shore, Ricci joined the Marines in 1968 and was stationed in Vietnam for just a week when the Tet Offensive, a large-scale string of surprise attacks by Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army forces, broke out.
“The casualties were heavy. I fought for four months before I got hit by shrapnel in 23 different spots,” Ricci said.
The young vet returned to the States with a plague of physical and mental injuries, a cache of haunting memories and a severe case of survivor’s guilt that manifested itself in several years of depression and substance abuse.
“I knew [my alcoholism and addiction to painkillers] would kill me so I went to AA [Alcoholics Anonymous] and for some reason or other, I was fortunate enough to make the decision to stop,” Ricci said. “I worked hard and haven’t had a drink in 37 years.”
With the darkest days behind him but posttraumatic stress disorder still an everyday reality, Ricci turned to a coping method that he relied on before the war — physical activity.
“Before I went into the Marines, I was extremely physically active, and that always made me feel good, so I was able to realize the curative power of physical activity,” he said.
Ricci contacted the Disabled Veterans National Foundation, which presented him with an opportunity to head out west and work with a team of disabled skiers.
“I picked up adaptive skiing and learned all about different disabilities and the way disabled people use adaptive equipment. I started going to Colorado every year to volunteer with the adaptive skiing program out there,” Ricci said.
The coping veteran found the practice doubly therapeutic as an athletic release and a way to help others who were facing physical challenges, some of those more daunting than his own.
After several years of instruction, Ricci learned that a friend involved in the adaptive skiing program taught a similar adaptive course for surfing.
“I found out about adaptive surfing in April and three days later I was back in New Jersey and I put an ad in the paper that said a Vietnam vet wants to start an adaptive surf program for disabled veterans. The next day I got a call from the best surfer in the area who wanted to volunteer,” Ricci said.
About two and a half years ago, Ricci’s first adaptive surfing event drew three disabled veterans. As time passed and word of the therapeutic program spread, more veterans began to join in.
“I decided early on that since programs like the Wounded Warrior Project only serve Iraq and Afghanistan vets that I would open my program to everybody,” he said.
The program, called Operation Beachhead, now holds several annual events and draws active duty military personnel, disabled and able veterans and people with mental and physical disabilities for days of adaptive sport and other therapeutic recreational activities.
Ricci, partner
Shayne Boyle and Vice President George Rague help participants surf, paddleboard, kayak, boogie board and sail on the New Jersey waters where Ricci first realized the therapeutic nature of those sports. They also help participants learn to ski, snowboard and ice-skate with adaptive equipment in the winter.
“Getting out and getting involved in winter and summer sports brings healing and gets the endorphins going. It gets [participants] away from the hospital and the mental and physical trouble that they’re always dealing with,” Ricci said.
At 68 years old, Ricci is busier than ever organizing events and doing whatever he can to accommodate the needs of the disabled.
“Events may be scheduled for certain dates, but people can call me any time and if I can make something happen for them the next day, I’ll do everything I can to get them right out,” Ricci said. “My living room’s been converted into my Operation Beachhead office, and my garage was converted into a storage unit for all of the equipment we use.”
Operation Beachhead is a nonprofit charitable organization that spends every penny of funds to support the needs of the disabled, Ricci said.
Events are open to all, including active duty and disabled veterans, people with special needs and disabled children.
“I’ve been given these ideas and they’re presents to me. I just open up the presents and share them with everybody else.”
Operation Beachhead will be taking the ice with its adaptive equipment, and will provide therapeutic painting instruction, at the Old Bridge Ice Arena Dec. 4.
For additional information, visit www.opbeachhead.org.