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Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives |
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Editorial
Review:
Based on his Pulitzer Prize-winning story, Jim Sheeler's unprecedented look at the way our country honors its dead; Final Salute Is a stunning tribute to the brave troops who have lost their lives in Iraq and Afghanistan and to the families who continue to mourn them
They are the troops that nobody wants to see, carrying a message that no military family ever wants to hear. It begins with a knock at the door. "The curtains pull away. They come to the door. And they know. They always know," said Major Steve Beck.
Since the start of the war in Iraq, marines like Major Beck found themselves thrown into a different kind of mission: casualty notification. It is a job Major Beck never asked for and one for which he received no training. They are given no set rules, only impersonal guidelines.
Marines are trained to kill, to break down doors, but casualty notification is a mission without weapons. For Beck, the mission meant learning each dead marine's name and nickname, touching the toys they grew up with and reading the letters they wrote home. He held grieving mothers in long embraces, absorbing their muffled cries into the dark blue shoulder of his uniform. He stitched himself into the fabric of their lives, in the simple hope that his compassion might help alleviate at least the smallest piece of their pain. Sometimes he returned home to his own family unable to keep from crying in the dark.
In Final Salute, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jim Sheeler weaves together the stories of the fallen and of the broken homes they have left behind. It is also the story of Major Steve Beck and his unflagging efforts to help heal the wounds of those left grieving. Above all, it is a moving tribute to our troops, putting faces to the mostly anonymous names of our courageous heroes, and to the brave families who have made the ultimate sacrifice for this country. Final Salute is the achingly beautiful, devastatingly honest story of the true toll of war. After the knock on the door, the story has only begun.
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Avg. Customer Rating:
5.0 / 5.0 
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"Final Salute - A Former CACO's Review"
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"Sheeler paints a vivid picture"
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"Service, sacrifice, and loss made visible"
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"Four thousand, one hundred, and thirty-seven military personnel have died in Iraq."
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Customer Reviews:
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Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0
/ 5.0
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Final Salute - A Former CACO's Review
As a former Marine Corps Casualty Assistance Officer (CACO) from 1968 to 1970 in Los Angeles, this book was very difficult for me to read as it brought back memories of nearly 40 years ago. During this period of time, it was my duty to notify over 75 families of their loss from combat actions in Vietnam. As the book was read, I could vividly recall the reactions of family members as I spoke with them and the book very accurately presents their wide range of emotions. Through this book, I can clearly recall... more info
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Sheeler paints a vivid picture
Jim Sheeler, a reporter for the Rocky Mountain News, won a Pulitzer Prize in 2006 for his story on which this book is based. The primary focus is Major Steve Beck, a Marine officer whose duty it is to knock on the door of a soldier's family to give them the unbearable news that their son or husband or brother is dead.
Although Sheeler claims his book has no political agenda, FINAL SALUTE deals with matters that at least a portion of the general public would just as soon ignore, uncomfortable in the... more info
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Service, sacrifice, and loss made visible
I am grateful to Jim Sheeler and especially to the soldiers and their families whose lives and losses are illuminated in this spare but moving chronicle. Sheeler tells the stories of families and soldiers who have borne a disproportionate burden during the Iraq war years, with a particular focus on the emotional cost to all involved when a soldier's life is lost and the next of kin are notified. Whatever one's feelings about the merits of the war in Iraq, this book is well worth reading for its compelling... more info
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Four thousand, one hundred, and thirty-seven military personnel have died in Iraq.
(p 48) "Imagine an accountant, a plumber, or a lawyer being pulled out of the office at any time and being directed to walk up to a stranger's door, tell them what nobody wants to hear, and then go back to work." Marine Major Steve Beck, casualty assistance calls officer, informed next of kin of their loved ones death in Iraq for two years. (p 9) "They're falling-either literally or figuratively-and you have to catch them." Final Salute is his story. More than that, it's primarily the story of five brave... more info
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