Final Salute

One of my favorite magazines is The Week, which is a weekly publication that basically recaps everything important that happened in the news, politics, science, business, etc. over the past week. "All you need to know about everything that matters." It's quite handy, since I am usually reading a book instead of watching the news.

Anyway, The Week has a regular column called The Last Word, which usually consists of a portion of a longer article published in another newspaper or a book. This week The Last Word included a portion of Jim Sheeler's book, Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives. For two years, Sheeler shadowed Major Steve Beck, a marine who serves as a casualty assistance calls officer, which means that he brings the news of a soldier's death to his or her family. Although I only read a very small portion, it was quite moving. Sheeler describes Beck's walk to the door:

"While every door is different, the scenes inside are almost always the same. 'The curtains pull away. They come to the door. And they know. They always know,' Beck says. 'You can almost see the blood run out of their body and their heart hit the floor. It's not the blood as much as their soul. Something sinks."

Sheeler describes the families Beck must visit-the initial notification, the families' reactions, the requests from grieving families, and his assistance with the funeral. We are given an intimate look at the families who have lost so much, and although the portion I read was very brief, the story moved me to tears. I am definitely interested in reading the rest of this book.