Marine Corps Vietnam War veterans recreate photo after being apart for 50 years

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“We just broke up,” said 70-year-old Bob DeVenezia. “Life is funny like that. I didn’t keep in touch with any of them. There was something about the Vietnam War and the negativity we kept hearing.”

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Following the end of their 13 month tours, the all went their separate ways and fell out of touch. Given the stigma of fighting in an unpopular war, it was -and still is- rather common for comrades to grow apart, with many wanting to just go on with their own lives. The men all had their share of success after the war. Bob DeVenezia would work construction in New Jersey; Bob Falk in retail management in Florida; Tom Hanks in investment banking in Atlanta and Dennis Puleo in home security. Still, despite success, something was missing. Roughly half a decade ago, Falk stumbled across an online memorial Hanks had made for a mutual friend that had been killed in the war, planting the seeds of reunion as the men slowly tried to get in touch.

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One day, Hanks found an old photo depicting the four of them at the beach with a surfboard. Though none can remember the exact day of the photo, it is estimated to be in early May of 1966. Still, the photo evoked so much emotion of bygone days, the guys knew what they had to do- recreate the photo

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