<body> Public Ad Campaign: GI Joe At The Beach?
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Monday, July 6, 2009

GI Joe At The Beach?


I made it to the beach last Friday to hang out and relax. Originally meaning to go to Jacob Riis park to beat the crowds, the rain changed my plans and led me to Coney Island where rain could be brushed off with heavy drinking. The rain ended up holding off and I set up a blanket 30 feet from the water. About an hour into my relaxation a helicopter flew up the beach and began to hover about 30 yards off shore directly in front of me. Half the beach got up and ran down to the water's edge taking pictures and shooting video as the helicopter released a ladder, presumably to rescue someone who was drowning. All the while more people were rushing down the beach to see what all the commotion was. Given the helicopter was only 60 feet above the water, making a ton of noise and disrupting the waters surface for a hundred feet in all directions, it was hard not to notice. After about a minute a guy dressed in army fatigues began to climb down the ladder. I kept trying to see if someone was drowning but couldn't see any reason that the helicopter should be running a rescue operation. It was then that I looked up at the helicopter again and saw the G.I. Joe logo plastered to its side. Once the man reached the bottom of the ladder and waved at the crowd, the helicopter began to slowly traverse the water front making sure every last beach goer looked up from his book or stopped applying sunscreen to their boyfriend's back. All in all it was a fantastic experience that unceremoniously took 5 minutes of everyone's life while simultaneously distracting every life guard on duty.

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1 Comments:

Blogger Gina Kay said...

That is awesome, in the true sense of the word. I was out at Lido 2 weeks ago and 3 lifeguards swam up to me with the intent to save. I was embarrassed and grateful all at the same time. The helicopter rescue is just great though. People do care!

11.7.09  

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