Seattle, WA -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/28/2014 -- Dan Zimberoff was one of the lucky few Americans to graduate with ‘Top Gun’ status and receive keys from the Government to an F-14 Tomcat. What he and his colleagues got up to both in and out of the cockpit was in line with the “rock star warrior” status. Zimberoff can now reminisce during his present career as a lawyer and count his many blessings, but he is well aware that over one million American families can’t look at military service so fondly.

Zimberoff decided to compile the collective story of his comrades during the 1980s and 1990s, publishing it as ‘The Last Top Gun: A Story Of The Last Generation Of Navy Fighter Jocks’. However, what started as a fictional memoir has now grown into a fund-generating machine for the children and families of those disabled or killed in service.

“I wanted to share the story of my pilot generation before it got lost forever. But it didn’t feel right to ‘profit’ from the book, since it is based on true life events. Right before it was published, I decided to donate 50% of all profits to charity groups that support US veterans and their families,” explains Zimberoff. “After receiving my first royalty check, I decided to donate it all to Folds of Honor, a group that supports families and children of disabled or killed service members. I hope the continued success of ‘The Last top Gun’ will lead to many more donations to Folds of Honor and similar charities,” he adds.

Synopsis:

While flying fighters in and out of combat, US Navy pilot Eric "Spyder" Greene repeatedly came face-to-face with his own mortality. But none of his cockpit exploits prepared him for what lay ahead. The same navy that had Spyder piloting the last manually flown fighter on and off aircraft carriers, now has the reserve commander assigned to a staff job where he grapples with a post-9/11 world filled with unmanned aircraft and drones, politically-driven policies, women in combat, and doubt as to his role in any of it.

In The Last Top Gun, a novel by Dan Zimberoff, Spyder meets the future of naval aviation in the form of two young, aspiring aviators. The grizzled fighter pilot, raw and anything but politically correct, recounts his harrowing experiences when he and his squadronmates were part rock stars, part Olympic athletes in the air--and all male. Spyder's encounters and chronicles intrigue the young officers, and like the reader, they want more.

Fifty percent of the profits from the sale of this book are donated to charity organizations that support US active duty and veterans organizations.

Folds of Honor provides annual educational scholarships to the military families of those who have been killed or disabled while in active duty. These help support private education tuition, tutoring and educational summer camps for children K-12, as well as higher education tuition assistance for spouses and children. Since its founding in 2007, the organization is proud to have awarded over 7,500 scholarships, including over 2,000 in 2014 alone.

“Only 10% of families and children of those adversely affected by Military service actually quality for Federal funding, so Folds of Honor exists to bridge the gap. We must serve those who have served us and I’m so proud to be linking my own work with today’s warriors. I was lucky enough to hang my helmet up each day with more great stories to tell, but many service people are either incapacitated by their brave acts, or leave behind struggling families. My goal now is to push the book aggressively, so we can make life as easy as possible for those living the daily reality of selflessness,” Zimberoff adds.
The book is being received with glowing reviews flooding in from coast to coast.

“An insightful, sometimes witty look at the life of a seasoned Navy pilot,” writes Kirkus Review.
Gerald Nielsen Jr. comments, “Fantastic book giving a true and personal prospective of Top Gun naval aviator. Demonstrates what these heroes lives are like defending our country. Great read!”

Edward Malynn adds, “I loved this book. I am a little biased...I relived some of my past life. I flew F-14s and was one of the last few lucky souls to make it to Cubi Point before the Navy closed the base. If you want to know the life of a Naval Aviator (A Navy Fighter Puke), read this book. I hope there is a sequel!”

‘The Last Top Gun: A Story Of The Last Generation Of Navy Fighter Jocks’ is available now:

http://amzn.to/1p8kfED. For more information, visit the official website: http://www.thelasttopgun.com.

About Dan Zimberoff
Dan Zimberoff knows exactly how it feels to land an F-14 fighter jet on a rolling, pitching aircraft carrier in the middle of the ocean at night: “terrifying, harrowing and, if successful, exhilarating.” With over 250 catapult shots and arrested landings, Dan spent a decade in the US Navy deployed across the globe, amassing dozens of combat missions during the first Gulf War and graduating from the Navy Fighter Weapons School (“Top Gun”). He finished number one in his flight school classes and was awarded the West Coast Fighter RIO of the Year while stationed at Miramar: Fightertown USA. He also served in the Special Operations Directorate (J3) of the Joint Staff, completed evening law school during his last tour of duty at the Pentagon, and was mobilized back to active duty weeks after 9/11, where he spent a year on the staff of the Commander Pacific Fleet briefing four-star admirals and helping fight in the Global War against Terrorism.

After 25 years of combined active and reserve service, Zimberoff recently retired from the Navy as a Captain and now practices law in the Pacific Northwest.