In 2005, reporter James Sheeler published an article in the Rocky Mountain News called ‘Final Salute‘ about the transport of a soldier’s remains back from Iraq to his home for his funeral.
I’m often critical of casualty-focused reporting, because I see in those stories a reporter’s effort to make a political statement by standing on the bodies of the wounded or dead. But when I read this story, I was so moved by the pure humanity it expressed, and the scrupulous and very real effort the reporter made to show us what he was seeing, rather than the point he wanted to make, that I wrote Sheeler and complimented him – kind of effusively.
Well, he just wrote back, and the article has been extended to a book – also called ‘Final Salute,’ which came out yesterday. As safe as Biggest Guy is today, it’ll still be a hard read for me, but I’ll read it regardless.
I just got my copy today. When the newspaper articles came out with the photos online in November 2005 or 6, I was mesmerized, and could not stop reading. I wrote to Jim and told him what a wonderful job I thought he had done…that he focused on Major Beck and the families, and there wasn’t even a hint of whether he supported the war or not. I thanked him for that. He wrote a most humble email back to me. I was so impressed. When he was awarded the Pulitzer, I jumped for joy, literally. I was looking at the photo section in the book today, and within a few minutes I couldn’t see for the tears. So I know I will have to read this in very short takes. Jim Sheeler has a real gift, and I am so grateful that he is using it. When I received the notification email, I wrote and begged him to please do a book signing in Arizona. I’m in the southeastern corner of the state, but I will drive ANYWHERE in the state to meet him. He said he’ll try to talk his publisher into it.
BTW, your Biggest Guy is in my prayers every day.