Review of Final Salute A Story of Unfinished Lives

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. 
After the knock on the door, the story has only begun.
If you have not heard of the book, you might recall hearing about the author. His name is Jim Sheeler and it was an article that he wrote in the Rocky Mountain News that made him the winner of the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing. That article went on to become this book, Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives.When I saw this book, I knew it was indeed the same Major Steve Beck that I had read about a few years ago, in my Sunday paper. Major Beck was the Casualty Assistance Calls Officer that had personally organized Remembering The Brave. It was a event that the families could attend and come together in recognition to honor of their fallen loved sons and daughters. Since Major Beck was US Marine stationed in Colorado, the Rocky Mountain News sent Jim Sheeler to write an article about this story. That same story won the 2006 Pulitzer award. I remember feeling astounded when I read the article because this US Marine had heart and did something about it on his own. Although when you first pick this book up you will immediately be drawn to the photographs and there are many. But once you start reading and connecting the names to the photos and then to the people and places, that is when you will understand why I had to read this book in stages. The stories are so personal and so moving because they are real. I can guarantee that anyone reading this book will definitely be moved to tears. So be prepared to put the book down quite a bit and keep a box of tissues close by. I'm believe every American should support and respect our troops. There is another side to their stories. It's about the families. As a mother of two US Veterans, I am so grateful that my sons came home. I have so much respect for our military. This book is a tribute to all our soldiers and their families and should be   required reading for every single American.


I received this from a GoodReads swap. It's one of my favorite places and if you like to read, then this is a terrific place to check out. There are all kinds of groups and you can keep track of the books you own as well.They have a swap program where you can trade the books you've read for books that you want to read. There are also giveaways which are really cool too. I've met so many really nice people there.