Campaigning: The Journal of the Joint Forces Staff College 10 December 2021

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Book Review

Life and Death at Cape Disappointment: 

Becoming a Surfman on the Columbia River Bar

by Christopher D’Amelio and Reid Maruyama

Reviewed by1

CDR Donald A. Baker

U.S. Navy

Instructor, JFSC

A rabbi once said, “Greater love has no one than this: than to lay down one’s life for their 

friends.” If risking one’s life and limb is any indication of an individual’s demonstration of their 

love, then in his memoir Life and Death at Cape Disappointment Coastguardsman Chris 

D’Amelio’s very personal and intimate account of rescuing his fellow citizens is a consummate 

example of what the maxim looks like in practice.

As a qualified surfman, the Coast Guard’s highest small boat qualification, D’Amelio had firsthand experience performing search and rescue (SAR) missions from his post at Coast Guard 

Station Cape Disappointment—a section ominously nicknamed “The Graveyard of the Pacific” 

for its treacherously dangerous and volatile sea conditions—from the late 1990s to the mid2000s. D’Amelio’s memoir recounts the most noteworthy of his documented 430 SAR cases, 

one of which earned him national recognition. 

The book introduces the uninitiated to life as a Coastguardsman at a duty station where the 

physical limits of human and machine (not to mention the psychological strain that comes with 

putting one’s life in perilous situations) are put to the test as frequently as the tide shifts 

directions in the Columbia River. D’Amelio’s first-person perspective and tone throughout the 

book is not altogether different from war memoirs like With the Old Breed or Helmet for My 

Pillow. The first-person point of view provides authors a vehicle to relay their thoughts and 

emotions to the reader. D’Amelio’s prose is basic and much less refined than Sledge or Leckie’s, 

but the simplistic style adds an element of authenticity that will likely resonate with both the 

military and civilian reader. A second common feature of military autobiographical works is that 

the protagonist typically lives through some harrowing encounter with a fierce enemy combatant 

amidst dire environmental conditions. Life and Death continues the tradition of other war books 

in the sense of dangerous encounters but here, violence and destruction come from the strong 

hand of the sea where his crew battle storm-forced winds and intense wave-sets that often exceed 

twenty feet in height in the small surfman vessels. Not all battles with Mother Nature are won, as 

1 The views expressed are those of the author(s) and do not reflect the official policy or position of Joint 

Forces Staff College, National Defense University, the Department of Defense, or the U.S. Government.
Campaigning: The Journal of the Joint Forces Staff College 10 December 2021

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D’Amelio attests. Some of his calls for assistance end in fatal disappointment, hence the 

namesake of the Coast Guard station and a portion of the title.

D’Amelio largely succeeds in his endeavor to tell the stories from his time at Station Cape 

Disappointment. He recounts rescuing a brother and sister who fell off a cliff, aiding a fisherman 

who burned his face off when his engine caught fire, retrieving a suicide victim’s body, and 

responding to the capsized boat that caused the drowning of its operator. Those stories, amongst 

many others, are particularly captivating. His surfman magnum opus is what he refers to as the 

“Peacock Spit Case,” where D’Amelio and his crew saved three family members from inevitable 

drowning after their boat flipped in heavy surf. For his action, D’Amelio received the 

Association for Rescue at Sea Gold Medal.

As captivating as his narratives are, he unknowingly creates uncertainty in certain places through 

his diction. He cannot remember if it is “nine or ten” fishing boats that got stuck out at sea or the 

average number of dead bodies each Coast Guard member of his station retrieves from the water, 

guessing at maybe “two or three a year.” Of particular concern is the status of a rescued burn 

victim. D’Amelio admittedly recalls the details differently than another crew member on the 

same case. There are numerous such instances in the book that create both drama and frustration 

for the reader. The effect of ambiguous language on vital details calls into question how 

accurately D’Amelio recalls the events but his honesty admitting the lapses in memory lend to 

his attempt at sincerity. 

Regardless of its shortcomings, the book achieves the goal of adequately depicting the surfman’s 

experience at Cape Disappointment. As much as D’Amelio’s volume captures his official search 

and rescue vocation, it is equally a very personal journal that chronicles his family life as a 

husband and father and all the nuances within. He acknowledges mistakes made in both his 

personal and professional lives. Still, he navigated both to success as he completed a noteworthy 

career as Chief Warrant Officer 3, which is only surpassed by his successful marriage and raising 

of three children. The personal sacrifice in terms of the tension between career and family is the 

book’s strength and greatest success. Though few servicemembers may have the same 

experiences, the sacrifice necessitated by service to country and community will be something all 

readers can identify with. D’Amelio’s is an honest, open, and raw story of one man’s life voyage 

that happens to include his precarious time as surfman that will not leave readers disappointed.2

Book Information:

Life and Death at Cape Disappointment: Becoming a Surfman on the Columbia River Bar

by Christopher D’Amelio and Reid Maruyama

Lyons Press, 2021. 224 pp.

2 A version of this book review previously appeared in the Naval Historical Foundation. It is reprinted here 

with permission, https://www.navyhistory.org/2021/08/life-and-death-cape-disappointment/.