Steel Beach: My Life as a Naval Aircrewman 1972-1976
Inkwater Press 2007
Steel Beach tells the story of Jeff’s years as a naval aircrewman from 1972 to 1976. Homeported in San Diego, California, he deployed on two Western Pacific cruises, known as WestPacs. His deployments took him to the Pacific and Indian Oceans, South China Sea, Gulf of Tonkin, Persian Gulf and Arabian Sea. Sailing halfway around the globe, with six crossings of the equator, an aircraft carrier was his home for months at a time. Ports of call included Manila, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Mombasa, Kenya. A squadron detachment including Jeff’s crew flew into Bandar Abbas, Iran, on a diplomatic mission.
With over 300 SAR, ASW, medevac and logistics missions in the Sikorsky SH-3 helicopter, his experiences enriched his life and changed it forever.
The bulk of Steel Beach was written from memory. In addition Jeff had memorabilia such as quarterly marks, squadron and carrier newsletters, portions of his service records, and all of the certificates issued to him as reference material. But perhaps most valuable to the story were all of his letters home, saved by his mother and not discovered until after her death.The letters formed the soul of his story-writing process, serving as a window back in time to his state of mind and where he may have been at sea or in port. Between the letters and military records he was able to reconstruct an accurate time-line.
Our memories are our truths, unique in their vividness, their imperfections, and their beauty. Steel Beach is Jeff’s memory, his truth. This is what makes Steel Beach his story.
You can read more information and see more photos: Steel Beach the Book
You can download the order form pdf or purchase Steel Beach through PayPal:
Finalist in the Oregon Book Awards for creative nonfiction.
http://www.literary-arts.org/
Press release from Inkwater Press
Inkwater Author .pdf
Jeff is a member of:
Vietnam Veterans of America www.vva.org
Vietnam Helicopter Crew Members Association www.vhcma.org/
Disabled American Veterans www.dav.org/
Current News
- April 2011
- Annual Instrument Show Northwest Musical Instrument Exhibit: Saturday and Sunday, April 30, 2011 - May 01, 2011 Marylhurst University, near Portland, Oregon.
- February 2011
- Jeff has recently finished radiation treatments for his 3rd relapse of lymphoma.
He is completing a 16 1/4” viola and will soon begin a 15” viola of his own design. - August 2010
- Jeff has moved! His new contact information: 2635 SW Fairmont Drive
Corvallis, OR 97333
New e-mail: jeff@jeffleemanthos.com - May 2010
- Jeff was the keynote speaker at the Modesto, California, Doctors Medical Center cancer survivor celebration of May 15th.
- November 2009
- Jeff is the featured cancer survivor in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Horizons newsletter, Volume 6, Number 3. Contact Jeff for a free print copy, a limited number are available.
- March 2009
- Jeff's interview about his Sea King helicopter adventures with aviation historian and journalist Tamas Szorad has been published in the March, 2009 issue of the European aviation periodical Aeromagazin of Budapest, Hungary.
- February 2009
- Jeff's short story The Warrior's Song was published in Perceptions, Mt Hood Community College's magazine of the arts this spring. (http://www.mhcc.edu)
- May 2008
- Steel Beach has been selected by a Florida High School history class as literature of the Vietnam War era.
- April 2008
- Latest manuscript- Planet Chemo completed and submitted to agents and publishers.
- December 2, 2007
- Finalist in the Oregon Book Awards for creative nonfiction. Literary Arts
- April 2007
- Published release of Steel Beach
(Inkwater Press ).
Contact information
Street: 2635 SW Fairmont DriveCity/State: Corvallis, OR 97333
Phone: 541-754-7645
E-mail: jeff@jeffleemanthos.com