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In search of Tim, the surfing soldier

11/17/2014

10 Comments

 
Picture
By Julie Titone

This is my candidate for the most unlikely and smile-inducing photo from the Vietnam War, a cross between Beach Blanket Bingo and China Beach. My excuse for posting it is to help locate that second soldier from the right, Tim Crowder.

Tim's high school buddy Ray Heltsley is looking for him. Ray joined me at a recent reading from "Boocoo Dinky Dow: My short, crazy Vietnam War." He brought along a boonie hat that was worn through two tours in Vietnam -- first by Tim, the Marine; then by Ray, the Army Ranger.

When Tim passed the hat along, he said he'd won it in a surfing contest at Da Nang. Ray wasn't quite sure whether to believe that, even though the word SURF is stitched on the boonie. But last week Ray searched the Web for Tim's whereabouts and came across the Marine Corps photo from the National Archives. Its caption:

Surfing--Captain Rodney Bothelo, 1st Shore Party Battalion, and Miss Elli Vade Bon Cowur, Associate Director USO, judges for the OSO sponsored surfing contest held September 25, 1966, are shown with Private First Class Robert D. Binkley, FLSG-B, who took first place in the event; Corporal Tim A. Crowder, Communications Company, Headquarters Battalion, second place winner, and Lance Corporal Steven C. Richardson, 1st medical Battalion, third place winner.

Tim and Ray were classmates at Seattle's Bishop O'Dea High School.

"Tim graduated from O'Dea in 1963," says Ray. "I left O'Dea at the end of my junior year, and graduated in 1963 from Chief Sealth High School. I recall that he tried to contact me some time around 1990-ish, but I missed that info and found out about it from my Dad later. I never managed to hook up with him, and he probably thought I didn't care at the time.  I'm hoping that he would be receptive to a contact now."

When Tim returned from Vietnam, he gave Ray the hat and then "disappeared into California."  If you know where that surfer dude is hanging 10 or just hanging out these days, drop us a note. 

We'd also like to know where those other folks in the picture ended up, and learn the scoop on that surfing contest. Was it a one-time thing?
Ray read that it may actually have been at Chu Lai southeast of Da Nang, though an undated video clip of soldiers on R&R prominently shows a "no surfing" sign there.

10 Comments
Steven C Richardson
12/13/2014 10:10:42 am

I'm the guy on the end of the picture. We had a blast in the middle of shit.

Reply
Steven C Richardson
12/13/2014 10:23:15 am

I also have 4 pictures of Tim surfing during the contest. If you want the pictures let me know. I also have more pictures my Marine Buddy took during the contest.

Reply
Ray Heltsley
1/11/2015 04:16:37 am

Hey, that would be great, Steven. If you can send the pictures to Julie, she can forward them to me. I have tried every way I can think of to try to locate Tim, but its all come to a dead end. It would be nice for him to know that he's getting all this publicity. As a former Marine, do you have any way of finding him through the Corps?

Reply
Julie Titone
1/11/2015 12:14:44 pm

Steve, you can send the photos to be at juti.one@gmail.com.
Thanks so much for the offer!

Reply
Doug Binkley
5/18/2015 05:48:43 pm

Well, i'll be damned!! Just out of curiosity I decided to google First Annual Surf Contest and there it was; a picture of Tim, Steve, and myself holding those old clunker boards which were probably confiscated from surfers sneaking on to Camp Penelton to find good waves. I still have the original newspaper article tucked away somewhere, but haven't seen it in years. Steve, I would love to hear from you and how you are doing; Tim also if anyone can locate him. I returned to California after one tour and settled in Santa Barbara. I continued to surf for a few years but haven't been out in quite a while.
Take care, Doug

Reply
Julie Titone
6/16/2015 08:50:51 am

Doug, this is Julie Titone, blog author. Jane Schmauss of the California Surf Museum in Oceanside is interested in hearing from you and the other 'Nam surfers. Her address is srfmama1@gmail.com. Mine is juti.one@gmail.com

Reply
Julie Titone
3/5/2017 06:14:20 pm

Hi, Doug. Doug, this is Julie Titone, blog author. Jane Schmauss of the California Surf Museum in Oceanside is still interested in hearing from you and the other 'Nam surfers. Her address is srfmama1@gmail.com. Mine is juti.one@gmail.com

Reply
Chad
4/7/2020 09:11:37 am

Hi Julie,

I searched for this photo, to try and find a print I could purchase for my father, Doug Binkley. I noticed from the comments that he wrote on this site in 2015 and you tried getting back in touch with him then, as well as in 2017.

He’s healthy and well, just busy and forgetful. I would love to put you in touch with him, for any questions or requests you may have.

If you’re still interested let me know and I’ll make it happen. Otherwise, if you can point me in the direction to where I could purchase a framed photo (I remember seeing them available a while back) I would be great full.

Thank you,
Char Binkley

Ray Heltsley
5/19/2015 06:03:13 am

Thanks for the post Doug. I tried locating Tim and came up with three or four former addresses and phone numbers, but nothing that resulted in actual contact. I even tried to find his brother Ken, but that also all went to dead ends. He's in California somewhere, maybe you can give it a try.
Ray Heltsley
Coupeville, WA

Reply
Tim Crowder
11/24/2022 03:06:32 pm

Hi, this is Tim ("Surf") Crowder himself. I guess I'm indirectly responsible for the "1st Annual Chu Lai Beach Open Surfing Championship",as I took to calling it. When I was stationed at Pendleton with the 5th Marines, I convinced Special Services to get those boards. They agreed but "only if you take care of them and repair them" . Ouch, twist my arm! I would love to get in touch with Ray, my high school best friend. I wouldn't mind getting to know Doug and Steve. Ihope I'm not too late to the party.

Reply



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    Julie Titone is co-author of the Grady Myers memoir "Boocoo Dinky Dow: My short, crazy Vietnam War." Grady was an M-60 machine gunner in The U.S. Army's Company C’s 2nd Platoon, 1st Battalion, 8th Regiment, 4th Infantry Division in late 1968 and early 1969. His Charlie Company comrades knew him as Hoss. Thoughts, comments? Send Julie an email.

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