| As the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq press on, the division between the United States military and the civilian population it defends continues to grow. The prolonged conflicts are two of a kind in the history of this country: a tiny portion of professional soldiers hold the line and with it, the immense burden of multiple tours in combat. A sober realization is in order for the clueless public to come and appreciate what their countrymen have endured for nearly eight years and counting.
"Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives" is that desperately needed wakeup call. Author Jim Sheeler composed "Final Salute" from his Pulitzer Prize winning articles of the same name for The Rocky Mountain News. The book is centered around Lieutenant Colonel Steve Beck, a Marine casualty assistance calls officer that expected to go to war but instead fought a different battle in the states. His job carries an unimaginable weight - notifying the family of service members killed in war. With a knock at the door, Beck transforms the lives of the people on the other side, seeing them at their most vulnerable.
The commitment doesn't end with the knock. From several months to years after the death notification, Lt. Col. Beck acts as a pillar of strength to families he delivered the tragic news to. He oversees the memorial services of the fallen, but his most vital job is consoling the families he first met on their doorstep. His wisdom is apparent in his candid words throughout the book. In lightening the pain of those families, he absorbs a great deal of it. Some nights, he cries in bed after the toll is too much to bear.
"I can't help but feel that I'm the person who's bringing them all that pain," he said. "Maybe that's what hurts me the most: that because I'm standing in front of them, they're feeling as bad as they're ever going to feel."
The book isn't just about Lt. Col. Steve Beck. The narrative is woven with the stories of those who answered the door. The most touching story is that of Katherine Cathey, the wife of Marine Second Lieutenant James J. Cathey. Katherine was pregnant when James left for Iraq, when he promised in a letter, "I will be home. I have a wife and a new baby to take care of, and you guys are my world."
Months later, James was killed in Iraq. He still came home, though in a flag draped coffin. On the tarmac of a Reno airport, Katherine told her friends, everything I love is on that plane.
A day before his burial, Lt. Col. Beck conducted final inspections on the coffin. The usual protocol was to have Marines guard the body during the day and leave at night. Katherine decided to stay with her husband for their final night together. The Marines decided to stay with her too, watching over their Marine brother and his wife. A window to the street captured the image for the passersby, busily walking without a care in the world. None of them saw the solemn, pregnant war window cozying up to her husband's coffin.
A constant theme throughout the book put that striking image into words: as families struggle to go on without their loved ones, the public remains largely ignorant of the amount of sacrifices made on their part by service members and their families. The only way to rectify that is to get informed, especially if you don't know anyone in the military to share a personal experience with. Jim Sheeler's book should be the first place you look for the stories of those who gave all for this nation.
After my own combat tour where I saw many good men killed, the message of love and loss still resonated with me. I can't remember a time a book made me cry, but "Final Salute" did me in a number of times. More than anything, it made me reflect fondly on my friends killed in action and how incredibly fortunate I was to make it out in one piece, back to my family.
After reading about Katherine Cathey's struggle to cope with her loss, I went to my girlfriend with tear filled eyes and hugged her tight. Puzzled, she asked why the sudden affection.
"Because I can," I said. |
