In 1966, four Marine buddies were photographed posing nearby a surfboard on a California beach. The three machine gunners and anti-tank man became solid friends while training at Camp Pendleton and serving a 13-month tour in Vietnam. When the war was over, the four Marines scattered.

Bob DeVenezia moved into New Jersey to work in construction.

Bob Falk traveled to Florida to make his name in the retail industry.

Tom Hanks (no, not that Tom Hanks) became an investment banker in Atlanta.

Dennis Puleo went into home security and moved to Orlando.

Public opinion of the Vietnam War turned sour long before the conflict ended, and military veterans returned home under a shroud of guilt and shame. Eager to put the war behind them, the men fell out of touch for decades.

Five years ago, Falk and Hanks reconnected through the Internet. Once the initial small talk was out of the way, the former Marine buddies slowly began talking again.

According to USMC Life, they decided to meet again in person after Hanks found the beach photo they took together 50 years prior.

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.

“It’s a really funny picture,” DeVenezia said, “but one with a lot of heart behind it.”

The four men met in St. Augustine, Florida to take their new photo. They even did their best to wear similar outfits as their 20 year-old selves.

Reuniting really does feel good.