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A 'Final Salute' to sacrifice

By Verna Noel Jones, Special to the Rocky

Published May 1, 2008 at 7 p.m.

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Jim Sheeler

Photo by Ellen Jaskol / The Rocky

Jim Sheeler

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Initially, former Rocky staffer Jim Sheeler was opposed to making a book out of his poignant Pulitzer Prize-winning special report about military families coping with the death of loved ones in Iraq.

"I was so emotionally raw that I needed a break," he says, "so I told everybody 'no.' "

But Sheeler soon realized that the families he'd interviewed didn't have the same luxury - they would never be able to take a break from their losses. That ultimately led him to tackle the project in order to let others know of the sacrifices these families make.

"Whether they are for the war or against it, people need to have an emotional involvement in it," he says.

The result is an expanded version of his Rocky report, Final Salute, which won the Pulitzer for feature writing in 2006. The newspaper piece and book of the same name tell the story of several families and their fallen Marines, often through the eyes of Maj. Steve Beck (since promoted to lieutenant colonel), a man whose job is to notify relatives of a loved one's death.

Released by Penguin this week, Final Salute: A Story of Unfinished Lives is already garnering rave reviews.

Sheeler is also the author of a collection of obituaries, Obit: Inspirational Stories of Everyday People Who Led Extraordinary Lives. He lives with his wife, Annick, and 9- year-old son, James, in Gunbarrel. The author spoke with the Rocky in advance of his book launch next week.

What new interviews and other work did you do for this book as it evolved from the original Rocky story?

I sat down in the basement and went through all my notebooks since the start of the war. I looked for things that I may have left out of a daily story or things that had been cut by editors - little pieces that really belonged in the book but didn't make the newspaper. I went through four years of work. I re-interviewed Major Beck and his wife, Julie Beck, because I didn't really have her perspective. I interviewed all the families again for more details.

What was the most difficult part about getting people to let you into their lives?

Actually, people really did want to talk about their sons or their husbands. It wasn't as difficult as it may seem, because their main goal is so people don't forget. They were willing to open up and take me into all these places that most people don't get to go.

What conclusions can you draw about the personal sacrifices people are willing to make in life?

People who are not from a military family have no idea what the sacrifices are, from just the day-to-day living of their lives, knowing that that knock could come (at any time).

What do you see as the biggest strength of the people you interviewed?

I think they draw their strength from their sons and husbands. As much as the deaths hurt, it gives them strength to say they have someone really important to remember and they want everybody else to remember as well.

What emotional toll did writing this book have on you, after having already devoted so much time to the original story?

There were times when I'd be interviewing somebody and I'd start crying, and times when I was sitting at the computer late at night and it would happen again. There are scenes that will shake me all my life - hearing Katherine (Cathey) scream on the tarmac (as her husband's coffin was removed from a plane). It's a sound no one should have to hear, but, in a way, it's a sound that everybody should hear. I know I'll never forget it.

What did you learn about yourself as a result of your work?

The main life lesson is that you realize how precious life is and you realize the sacrifices other people are making on our behalf, without question. It changed the way I look at the sacrifices of every service member, and especially their families.

Was there anything you deliberately left out of the book that was in the original newspaper story?

In the newspaper story, I showed a situation with an Army casualty notification going wrong. I changed that in the book to an example of when a body of a Marine had come home and his father was met at the airport by a forklift (as if his dead son in the casket atop it were a piece of luggage rather than an honored Marine). Otherwise, it was mostly adding things. I lengthened the interviews with the Marines that night when they were watching Katherine (who slept next to her husband's casket in the funeral home the night before his burial) because, for me, that was an incredibly emotional time. We had all been up for three days straight, and after they came off their watch, they just came into that dark room and they were sitting in the dark in their T-shirts absolutely spilling everything they had. It was so powerful for me.

How has your life changed since winning the Pulitzer Prize?

I had a hard time with it because of what the story was. These aren't stories - these are real people. I didn't think I should be getting any kind of award - it should be all these families and these guys (getting the honor). I called all the family members that day and said: "This is another posthumous honor for your sons. I don't want to accept this." But they told me they were proud of me and thought it would ensure that their sons would continue to be remembered, which really helped me get through it.

What are you doing now, and what are your plans for the future?

I'm an instructor at the University of Colorado at Boulder. Beginning in the fall, I will be a scholar in residence for two years, and then I'm hoping to get on full time as a teacher after that. . . . I would enjoy trying to help figure out how we're going to continue to tell stories that matter (in these difficult times for newspapers and other media).

Verna Noel Jones is a freelance writer and co-author of the parenting book Don't Drown in the Carpool. She lives in Aurora.

Jim Sheeler

* What: Sheeler will read from his book and sign copies Wednesday in the Denver Newspaper Agency building, 101 W. Colfax Ave. Reception at 6:30 p.m.; program begins at 7 p.m. Marine Lt. Col. Steve Beck and several family members that Sheeler writes about will also be in attendance.

* Cost: free

* Information: jimsheeler.com

Comments

  • May 2, 2008

    8:54 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    mobbs1107 writes:

    The stories are tough to tell, tougher to read but they do shed a bright beam of light on what families, military families go through and what people like Lt. Cnl Beck go through to help. With two sons currently serving (grunts), both with multiple deployments, both with purple hearts (hopefully one is all they get!)the story rings close to the heart. Life goes by slowly for military families, hour by hour, day by day..until they come home safely.

    Thanks for the story.

    Mike in Highlands Ranch

  • May 7, 2008

    12:54 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    reneabarry writes:

    Congratulations to both Jim Sheeler and Todd Heiser for the recognition of the quality of their work. As I read the words and viewed the images, (Final Salute, November 11, 2005,) foremost in my mind was an appreciation for those who would honor a life by giving importance to the loss of that life. And the comfort it provided, knowing there are still some in this world that value what we have also been told to put behind us. Thank you.

  • May 10, 2008

    10:05 a.m.

    Suggest removal

    USMC7322 writes:

    We both have had the pleasure and honor of personally knowing Lt. Col. Beck, and recently met both Jim Sheeler and Todd Heiser on Wed. The presentation was done very well, it really does tell the stories of what military families do go through. It does show the way the Marines do take care of the final moments and how they do honor their fallen brothers/sisters. Brett is a former Marine and I am a Navy Brat and mother of a Marine currently serving. So we always appreciate any honor given to our veterans.
    Respectfully
    Brett K. Yamada (SGT USMC)
    Jennifer A. Yamada
    Ft. Lupton, Co.