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Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives

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Author: Jim Sheeler
Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The
Category: Book

List Price: ~~$25.95~~
Buy New: $15.95
You Save: $10.00 (39%)

New (31) Used (11) from $14.99

Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 out of 5 stars

37 reviews
Sales Rank: 13105

Media: Hardcover
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 288
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.4
Dimensions (in): 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.3

ISBN: 159420165X
Dewey Decimal Number: 956.704437
EAN: 9781594201653
ASIN: 159420165X

Publication Date: May 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Brand New! Ships USPS w/tracking number.

Also Available In:

•	Audio CD - Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives
•	Kindle Edition - Final Salute

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Editorial Reviews:

Product Description
Based on his Pulitzer Prize-winning story, Jim Sheelers 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 marines 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 Prizewinning 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.

Customer Reviews: Read 32 more reviews...

5 out of 5 stars

Tribute to Heroes September 6, 2008
What a tribute to the fallen, and those charged with the duties of notifying next of kin.

5 out of 5 stars

Well Done August 31, 2008
This book clearly demonstrates how the American military cares for the families of those who are killed in the defense of our great nation! It is written with a sensitivity and a compassion that is rare in non-fiction work these days.

It is the story of bravery not only on the battlefield but at home among the mothers, fathers, wives, children, brothers, sisters and other relatives of the fallen.

I was almost brought to tears when reading of the tenderness of the casualty officers portrayed in this fine book.

I would encourage all Americans to give this book a read.

Michael Patterson

5 out of 5 stars

Salute to our troops August 30, 2008
An incredible story about a guy with one of the toughest jobs in the world, but who does it very well.

5 out of 5 stars

Great Book! August 29, 2008
I recommend this book! My son is a Marine and it breaks my heart that parents have to have that knock on the door, but the compassion, heart and feelings these Marines have was eye opening! The book was very well written. I have a new found respect for those Marines, because it too breaks thier heart to do their job and they did not volunteer for it. The Marines truly are a brotherhood!

5 out of 5 stars

Final Salute - A Former CACO's Review August 19, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful

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 each and every notification and funeral service during those years. A noted difference between notifications then and now is in the acceptance of the CACO as a family member.

As a young captain making these notifications, my emotions were held in check as I was performing a service for a fellow Marine. Now, as a grandfather of 4 boys, when reading this book, it is not as easy to not become emotionally involved.

I enthusiastically recommend this book.

JMSmith
Captain, USMCR
Casualty Assistance Officer
1st Battalion, 14th Marines, USMCR
Los Angeles, CA

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