Sexual Astrology - Books : Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives

All ProductsApparelBabyBeautyBooksDVDDigital MusicHealth & Personal CareJewelryKitchen & HousewaresMagazinesMiscellaneousMusicMusic TracksPhotoSoftwareToysVHSVideo (DVD & VHS)Video Games

 View Shopping Cart or Checkout 

by: Jim Sheeler See Larger Image List Price: $25.95 Our Price: $17.13 You Save: $8.82 (34%) Prices subject to change. Used Price: $12.32 Third Party New Price: $12.97 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours This item ships for FREE with Super Saver Shipping. Binding: Hardcover Dewey Decimal Number: 956.704437 EAN: 9781594201653 ISBN: 159420165X Label: Penguin Press HC, The Manufacturer: Penguin Press HC, The Number Of Items: 1 Number Of Pages: 288 Publication Date: May 01, 2008 Publisher: Penguin Press HC, The Sales Rank: 11336 Studio: Penguin Press HC, The Related Items: Obit: Inspiring Stories of Ordinary People Who Led Extraordinary Lives Rule Number Two: Lessons I Learned in a Combat Hospital The Dark Side: The Inside Story of How The War on Terror Turned into a War on American Ideals Moment of Truth in Iraq: How a New 'Greatest Generation' of American Soldiers is Turning Defeat and Disaster into Victory and Hope What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception see more Editorial Review: Product Description: 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. Customer Reviews Average Rating: Rating: - The Face of War's Sorrow Final Salute looks deep into the inner part of grief and sorrow experienced by families affected by the war in Iraq. The numbers of people lost in the war reverberate and ripple through numerous lives both on the battle field and the home front. The thousands of lives lost represent tens of thousands of those who loved them and are affected by their deaths. The book gives the reader a sense of intense sadness and loss but you don't want to stop reading it the way you don't want to stop ... Read More Rating: - Tribute to Heroes What a tribute to the fallen, and those charged with the duties of notifying next of kin. Rating: - Well Done 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 ... Read More Rating: - Salute to our troops An incredible story about a guy with one of the toughest jobs in the world, but who does it very well. Rating: - Great Book! 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! see more Browse for similar items by category: Death & Grief - Health, Mind & Body - Subjects - Books - Grief & Bereavement By Topic - Psychology & Counseling - Health, Mind & Body - Subjects - Books - Grief United States - Americas - History - Subjects - Books - General United States - Americas - History - Subjects - Books - 21st Century Military - History - Subjects - Books - General