Confessions of a Surviving Alien
A Memoir of a Life Defined by One Word—Vietnam
by
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Prepare for written combat! This book will slap you in the face with a huge dose of reality. The title will lure you in, the story will hook you, and the script and messages--humorous and profound--will rapture your senses. Fasten your reading seatbelt, you may be in for the roller-coaster ride of your life. Thick skin, tissues and a sense of humor advised. Part I, Before Vietnam (BV), Boot Camp: "Are you a damn ape or something, private? Where did you get all that nasty hair? Look at my chest. Go ahead move your beady eyes to my chest." He folded over the top of his t-shirt. "There's no hair on my chest is there?" "Sir, no, sir," I said. "You know why private ape-man? Because hair don't grow on steel." Part III, After Vietnam (AV), Stateside Duty: "Escorting deceased Marines was both my great honor and my great sorrow. Sometimes it seemed like I was in a near constant state of mourning. If it wasn't for the immediacy around me, it was in my head from Vietnam." Part 1V, After Marines (AM), Job Application At Hospital: "I apparently was not even given my five points advantage for being a Veteran?" "Jon, I think you have some real issues here, being a Veteran and all, so I am going to advise our psychiatrists at our facility to provide you with free counseling for three months."
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About the Book
More than a book, more than a non-fiction read, more than a memoir, CONFESSIONS OF A SURVIVING ALIEN will engage the reader like most have never experienced. It will take them through a maze of life’s pathos, and elicit the emotions of sadness, joy, pain, regret, guilt, remorse, pride, fear, revenge, happiness, forgiveness, evil, good, and much uniquely intertwined with humor, often times outrageously so. Although defined by the premise of Vietnam, it is much more than another war account, to the contrary. It is more often the dredge of a neophyte Marine trying to get more into the war and action, than out of it. It is more about his disillusionment in practically every aspect of that officially declared “police action,” but not in ways one might expect. It is more about his evolution and regression as a human being and inner torment, including feelings of alienation. The book starts at the end, and ends with the start, with a chronological account in between, covering four parts: Before Vietnam (BV), During Vietnam (DV), After Vietnam (AV), and finally, After Marines (AM). The story covers the life of a young American, and follows his incredible journey through the decades to find himself, to explore every possibility of living—and nearly dying—and reach some hopeful level of success, however that is defined. From having a unique tour in Vietnam, to escorting deceased Marines to their families and final resting place, to his life threatened by a mob guy, to learning about a deeply held family secret concerning his father, to experiencing a profound spiritual experience in the unlikely locale of Beverly Hills, California, and much more, author Jon Meade’s biggest challenge may be getting readers to believe his surreal story. He merely shrugs and says, “I am just a very ordinary guy, with an extraordinary life to convey. It is nothing less, nor more than that.” Maybe, he admits, in the end analysis, success in life is merely surviving life, failures and all. With that admission and a very personal and engaging approach and writing style, the genre of Memoirs may never be the same.
About the Author
Jon Meade is retired and living in Tucson, Arizona. Having conquered years of writer’s block with the publication of CONFESSIONS OF A SURVIVING ALIEN, Meade hopes to continue writing and publishing, primarily in the non-fiction arena. With a B.A. in journalism and experience as a writer, editor and contributor within the private and government sectors, Jon’s great love remains storytelling and creative writing. A former Marine who is fiercely devoted to his fellow Veterans—and the United States—Meade hopes to remain as active as possible in volunteer work for the foreseeable future. Perhaps his favorite is American Combat Veterans of War (ACVOW), headquartered in San Diego, CA., a rare, 100% non-profit organization.