Joseph A. Conforti grew up in Brookline, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston. After grauduating high school in 1969, he enlisted in the Marine Corps and served a combat tour in Vietnam as an intelligence scout. Returning home he attended Northeastern University, majoring in flight and industrial technology. He graduated in 1975 with a B.S. degree. Upon graduation, he was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Marine Corps. and attended flight training in Pensacola, Florida and Kingsville, Texas. He received his Navy wings of gold in September of 1977 and served with Marine Observation Squadron One, where he made multiple deployments overseas during his active service.

Leaving active duty in 1981, he flew for both a small commuter and a freight airline. Conforti was hired by People Express Airlines in 1983 and joined the Marine Corps Reserve, serving with Marine Observation Squadron 4. His next assignment was with the 25th Marine Regiment, where he served as an air-officer with the infantry. His unit was activated for the First Gulf War in 1990, and he saw combat during Operation Desert Storm. He retired from military service shortly after returning from the war.

Conforti returned to academia in 2004, taking leave from the airlines. He attended Emerson College in Boston, earning a master-of-arts in media arts in 2006. He went on to write, direct, and produce several independent documentaries and feature films. His first screenplay, “The 19th Province,” was loosely inspired by his experience in the First Gulf War and was optioned by Sundancer Films. “In Plain View,” another of his scripts, was optioned by Out of Pocket Films. His last documentary, “Sammy’s Story” was acquired by Multicom Entertainment of Los Angeles.

Conforti is also a talented cartoonist. His cartoons have appeared in various magazines, such as “Airline PIlot” and “Leatherneck.” His cartoon strip, “The Wrong Stuff” ran for several years in airport newspapers across the country.

“The Crashpad” is Conforti’s debut novel. Written over a period of ten years after his retirement, it’s based on his experience as an airline pilot during the 1980s airline deregulation era. Inspired by true events, it follows five misfit pilot living in a ramshackle New Jersey ‘crashpad’ as they navigate through the personal mayhem and madness of airline deregulation.