Jim Sheeler is a reporter for the Rocky Mountain News who has spent the last 7 years writing about the “war at home”. He has covered both deployments and homecomings for units stationed in Colarado. He has also reported on the funerals of those killed in action. For two years Sheeler followed a Casualty Assistance Officer named Major Steve Beck as he provided notification of soldiers' deaths and continued to provide support and assistance for as long as the families needed him. Final Salute tells the heartbreaking stories Sheeler learned during those years.
The book is fairly short, 280 pages including author's note, but Sheeler packs a large amount of information into the book's short chapters. He paints clear portraits of both the lost soldiers and those they left behind.
The book provides a much-needed window into the true cost of war, a window that is especially valuable given the lack of images of those killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Grade A
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