SA: On the beach in Spring Lake former Marine Michael Ricci is on a mission
MR: We attack the waves, take control and establish a Beachhead
SA: Through his non-profit Operation Beachhead Ricci helps people with disabilities hit the waves. There are wheelchairs with fat inflatable tires for the sand and surfboards with handles
MR: They'll catch a wave because they'll get pushed into it and then some of them just need one person on the back to hold them
SA: What's that like for them, what do you see in their face?
MR: Oh they come in they're smiling like crazy
SA: Ricci who is 79 discovered adaptive sports after the Vietnam War. He still has shrapnel in his leg.
MR: I'm always in excruciating pain so the more I do things I'm distracting from the pain.
SA: For Greg Mandler balance is difficult but when he's lying down on a surfboard
GM: It's like freedom. I just feel so free
SA: 15-year old Charlotte New surfs standing up on a prosthetic leg
CN: It felt really natural because everyone was showing me how to do it and teaching me
SA: Stephanie Cardenas lost a leg at age 7
SC: I didn't grow up doing too much adaptive stuff but now that I'm older I've kind of learned the importance of it and how important it is to have a community and meet other people kind of going through the same thing
SA: People hug and thank Michael Ricci. He says he's the one who's grateful
MR: You're giving me a gift and that's what it is. I see the joy on their faces
SA: In Spring Lake, Sean Adams WCBS 880 News