Outgoing Commander Originally 'Wanted Nothing to Do With' It

Ask almost anyone in Hampton about the person who best exemplifies the heart and diverse passions of the area, and the name Ralph Fatello is at or near the top of their lists.

Fatello represents the community in various ways, from his love of everything surfing and photography, to his unwavering compassion and music (particularly blues rock)-soaked soul. 

His most public and "official" role, though, is the one that's made him one of the most recognizable faces at events around the southern Seacoast area. That role would be his 13-year term as commander as American Legion Post 35.

That role would also be the one in which he thought he didn't belong.

"I wanted nothing to do with being commander," said Fatello, who explains why he thought he "could never do it" in the video above.

Fatello will officially step down as commander in May, and he presided over his last Veterans Day ceremony on Monday. The legion is near and dear to the heart of the retired Marine Corps lance corporal and Vietnam veteran, and while Fatello says it's time to step down, there are many things he'll miss about being "the voice" at the many Post 35 events throughout the year.

"I'm missing that — the fact that they think there was something special we brought in with me on the forefront, with me as the tip of the spear," said Fatello, who runs Adlantic when he's not surfing or doing something in the community. "It's like music. Once you step down off the stage, there's that longing. You miss it."

The longing hasn't quite kicked in for Fatello, as there are still many Post 35 functions to oversee and spearhead until May. The feeling will kick in eventually, although for Fatello it'll be accompanied by the many memories and relationships he's forged while working for and with veterans and community members.

The accomplishment of which Fatello is most proud is overseeing the creation and erection of the state's first Global War On Terrorism Monument, which is located outside the legion hall on High Street. Fatello talks more about the meaning of that accomplishment in the video above.

Fatello won't completely disappear from the legion, though. He says he'll likely take his encore as a member of Post 35's rifle squad, which is a position in which he proudly served before becoming commander.

Either that, or the dry-witted Fatello's next gig will be in front of a different, more-discerning type of firing squad: a comedy club audience.

"I've been on a one-man comedy tour," joked Fatello after he took the time to shake the hand of everyone at Monday's Veterans Day ceremony crowd, throwing in little jabs at the individuals he knew. "I think I'm going to do standup when I leave."

Serious or not about the career move, it didn't take long for Fatello to take the first shot from the comedy club firing squad.

"I think you should keep your day job," Hampton Police Chief Jamie Sullivan joked to Fatello.