Charlie Don't Surf Military Vietnam War T-Shirt

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Apocalypse Now" features an impressive cast, including Marlon Brando, Robert Duvall, Martin Sheen, Larry Fishburne, and Dennis Hopper. When the troops wanted to talk about both the Viet Cong and Vietnamese communists in general, they would simply refer to them as "Charlie." Today, its legacy is still a big influence in modern surfing culture, as well as other media settings. Frequently Asked Questions Q: Which movie is “Charlie Don’t Surf” from? Charlie Don’t Surf” doesn’t only imply that the Viet Cong don’t surf, as it goes much deeper than that. When Kilgore shouted this in reply to his officer, he also indirectly hinted that they’re going to take their waves, whatever the means could be.

Popular with locals and tourists alike for over 25 years, this navy t-shirt is handmade, dyed, and printed in small batches here in Los Angeles. The printing has a soft hand on the even softer 100% fine jersey. As many of our long time customers can attest this 4.3 oz cotton garment stands the test of time and only gets better after washing.The famous and memorable surfing moments in the movie were shot at Baler Beach in the Philippines. At the time, the film production left behind a few surfboards, which local kids used to learn how to surf. The movie depicts the journey of Captain Willard (Martin Sheen) across Vietnam. He is on a mission to find and kill Colonel Kurtz (Marlon Brando), who went mad during the Vietnam War. According to the film’s writer, Millius, the inspiration for the famous line is the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, who after winning the war in Aqaba, went spearfishing and said to one of his crews, “Now, we’re eating their fish”. Kilgore instructs a subordinate to get his 8'6 Yater Spoon surfboard as they prepare for a decisive ambush. A major objects: "It's pretty hairy in there. It's Charlie's Point!" The iconic line “Charlie Don’t Surf” didn’t just add an additional flare to the surfing culture, it also became an inspiration for songs, game themes, and art pieces. The following are just some examples:

The movie, ‘Apocalypse Now’, gained no support from the US Department of Defense because of its anti-Vietnam theme; therefore the movie was not filmed in Vietnam, as the war was still ongoing there. This line mirrored the “Charlie Don’t Surf” statement in which both of them implied that they’ve conquered the enemy’s ground, and now they’re going to take what’s not theirs as an added insult to the injury. America’s Surfing Culture during the 1970s In the movie, teenage soldiers led the battle in the Vietnam war. It’s a representation of how the Californian culture and power are taking over and assaulting the Asian culture. From how they were hopping down the helicopter and putting flame jobs in their gun pods, mindlessly shooting over the line of napalm trees of the village, to how they surfed the waves after they’ve taken over the local’s land. The problem is, they have to take out a Vietnamese military installation there before they can get to Charlie’s Point. This means engaging in a dangerous battle with a ground they can’t even hold for a long time. For this reason, one of the soldiers said, Apocalypse Now’ is a film that shows the savagery and the truth behind civilization; hence why it’s one of the most famous movies of all time. In an interview with Rolling Stone, John was asked about how the viewers and the Vietnamese veterans reacted to the premiere showing of his movie. In which he said,

"Charlie Don't Surf" is one of the greatest and most famous movie lines of all time. But what does it really mean?

John Milius stated that he wanted to underline the Vietnam War's West Coast touch, mainly because "our culture was centered at this time in California, with the hippies and everything." A 2012 movie directed by Jason McAfee; a story about three disabled surfers and their journey towards Costa Rica If I say it's safe to surf this beach, Captain, it's safe to surf this beach! I mean, I'm not afraid to surf this place! I'll surf this f-----g place!" During the film shooting, the locals observed the actors and how surfing worked, so when the production crew left their surfboards after filming, the children took over the boards and used them to surf. Today, Baler is one of the surfing attractions of the Philippines, and it’s also hailed as the ‘Surfing Capital’ of the country. The truth is that the memorable quote "Charlie Don't Surf" went on to inspire people and activities. The line is also the name of:

We do a lot of surfing around here, Lance. I like to finish operations early, fly down to Yung Tau for the evening glass. Been riding since you got here?" Charlie Don't Surf" is one of the greatest and most famous movie lines of all time. But what does it really mean? American soldiers often referred to their Viet Cong enemies as "VC," the initials for the NATO phonetic code words "Victor Charlie." They rendezvous with Lieutenant Colonel William "Bill" Kilgore (Robert Duvall), another enthusiastic surfer, and a group of wave-riding fanatics begins to take shape.Apparently, after winning a battle in Aqaba, Sharon went spear diving, shot some fish, ate them with his crew, and said: "we're eating their fish," as if saying, "We got here, destroyed everything, and now we're also taking your fish." A member of his troop, Lance B. Johnson, is a professional surfer who’s also infamous for taking drugs. Perhaps it’s because of overconfidence or impulse, Kilgore instructed one of his officers to get his surfboard because he wanted Lance to surf in Charlie’s Point — a beach that stretches for miles with peaks reaching six feet and good surf breaks all year round. John Milius later revealed that the expression "Charlie Don't Surf" was inspired by a comment made by former Israel Prime Minister Ariel Sharon during the Six-Day War of 1967. The iconic movie quote can be heard in "Apocalypse Now," an intense and literally explosive 1979 war film written by John Milius and directed by Francis Coppola. Aside from Baler, the movie was also filmed in other beach locations such as Manhattan Beach Pier, Hermosa Beach, Cannon Beach, Waimea Bay in Hawai’i, and Lake Powell in Utah. Art and Culture

In the movie, “Charlie Don’t Surf!” was said by the lieutenant colonel, William “Bill” Kilgore. He was a good commander according to his men, albeit he sometimes go overboard with his decisions as a surfing afficionado. At a certain point in the movie, Captain Willard meets gunner's mate Lance B. Johnson (Sam Bottoms), a blonde former pro surfer from Southern California who loves taking acid. Viet Cong is the armed communist revolutionary group of North Vietnam, who fought with South Vietnam and troops of the United States during the Vietnam war. Since Viet Cong has the initials of VC as in Victor-Charlie in the NATO phonetic alphabet, the American soldiers also referred to them as ‘Charlie’.Instead, the war movie was filmed in the Philippines, where the current president of that country during that time, Ferdinand Marcos, lent the production crew the helicopters and gunships they needed. Some of the beach surfing scenes were filmed in Baler Bay, which is located in the northeastern part of the Philippines. When the lights came up, I looked around and saw that people were sitting transfixed. Vietnam vets were there, too, weeping. I was stunned by how good the film was and what Francis had done. I was proud.” Shooting Locations