Just a Sailor: A Navy Diver's Story of Photography, Salvage, and Combat

by Steven L. Waterman

Book Overview

EYES UNDER THE WATER When Steve Waterman left home in 1964, he was looking for the most exciting job the U.S. Navy had to offer. So Waterman became an underwater photographer, joining an elite group... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0804119376
• ISBN13: 9780804119375
• Release Date: October 2000
• Publisher: Ballantine Books
• Length: 284 Pages
• Weight: 0.36 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 4.2" x 6.9"

Customer Reviews

A NEW WORLD

Steven Waterman's JUST A SAILOR has taken me to a world within the Navy that I previously didn't know existed. The trip is adventurous, dangerous, and almost always humorous. Waterman's refreshing style of writing is a splash of cold water in the face of this reader of military history. I highly recommend that you read this book if you enjoy reading: about the military life, about combat, about UDT / SEALs, about the Navy, or you just want to read something that is a diversion from the typical military nonfiction. I hope Waterman continues to write since I always need/enjoy a splash of cold water.

An Authentic Voice

Thirty years after the events depicted so vividly in "Just a Sailor," I not only met Steve Waterman but learned that our trails had crossed in both California and Virginia. It is through that circumstance that I am able to vouch for the authenticity of this fascinating book.I like authenticity in literature, whether fiction or non-fiction. As a matter of record, many, if not most, of the SEAL genre of books lack authenticity. Here, then, comes Waterman, a non-SEAL who did a lot of SEAL things, writing a book that tells the gospel truth about the way things were in the Teams (and the rest of the Navy, for that matter) during the 1970's.Waterman's authentic portrayal of Navy life in the '70's, in its own way, rivals Harper Lee's depiction of life in the Depression South in "To Kill a Mockingbird." Having lived in both the Navy and the South during the periods written about, I can vouch for the authenticity of both works and favorably compare the two. Waterman may not be a literary giant, but he both knows how to tell an exciting tale and lay it all out there for the reader to visualize."Just a Sailor" makes fascinating reading for students of the Viet Nam War, for historians, and for readers who simply want a hard-to-put-down read. Don't miss it.

Steve's Words Paint a Thousand Pictures

If you dive into "Just A Sailor" with minimal prior exposure to the workings of the military (like I did), you'll happily find this book does not alienate you through miles of military mumble or intricate technicalities, but rather it draws you into each intriguing page as though you were present through it all. The pictures of Steve's experiences still linger long after having finished the book. I was truly disappointed when I ran out of pages. Steve's genuineness and candor will cause you to feel as though you've known him for years as he escorts you through his personal and professional world, successes and regrets, triumphs and trials. A delightful journey it is. This book should come with a warning: "May Cause Late Night Reading Addiction."

Just A Sailor is a Straight Shooter's Story

I give this book five stars because it's one of a kind and no other book can compare to it. Steve Waterman tells his story with pure, unadulterated honesty. We don't get questionable details and ham-fisted opinions like we do with so many other true-accounts of military service. Steve's prose is straightforward and conversational. He puts you in his shoes and takes you on a trip from the floor of a truck camper in Maine to the deck of the Navy's politically correct submarine rescue platform, with dozens of interesting, and, at times, harrowing stops in between, including a tour in Vietnam. Steve wanted to leave Maine and find something special, and he did -- he became one of only 15 Navy combat photographers. (There are only 15 of these guys at any one time in the Navy.) Read this book and you'll come away with some new insights into military service. Find out what it's like to have the job of combat photographer and handle the various types of equipment; engage in marine salvage; go on a treasure hunting expedition; serve with the UDT-13 in Vietnam; take part in an underwater habitat experiment and more. Steve's recollection of his service in the Navy is remarkably honest and telling.

Sailor's eye view

Mr Waterman writes a down to Earth account of life in the U.S. Navy in the sixties and seventies. It's a good read for anyone who is interested in life in the military during a turbulent time in our history. Real people and real places add rich detail and keep the story moving along.