If You Read Only One Thing This Year...

Thursday, January 7, 2010
...let it be this book.

Remember back in November when I said that one of the great tragedies of our age was the disconnect between the armed forces and the people they serve? This book does a remarkable job of closing that gap, and it should be required reading for every American who lives in freedom as the result of the sacrifices made by those who serve.

The author, Jim Sheeler, won the Pulitzer Prize for the material contained in this volume. The series was published in the Rocky Mountain News in 2006:
Rocky Mountain News reporter Jim Sheeler and photographer Todd Heisler spent a year with the Marines stationed at Aurora's Buckley Air Force Base who have found themselves called upon to notify families of the deaths of their sons in Iraq. In each case in this story, the families agreed to let Sheeler and Heisler chronicle their loss and grief. They wanted people to know their sons, the men and women who brought them home, and the bond of traditions more than 200 years old that unite them.
This narrative is profoundly moving. I have performed aspects of this duty, and yet I still find myself choking up as the author describes the heartache and devastation left by the loss of my brothers-in-arms.

Most people in this country will never know the grief associated with losing a child, spouse or parent in the service of our country. But if you can understand the process, and realize what the families and the service members are going through as a result of this sacrifice, you begin to address the isolation associated with the life of a professional soldier, sailor, airman or Marine.

You can find a slide show of the photographs taken by Todd Heisler here, and you can order the book at Amazon or from your local library. Do yourself a favor, and take the time to expose yourself to the incredible experience of this book. It's not for the faint of heart, but it's probably the most important book I've read in a decade.

4 comments:

Karl said...

I saw that in the rack the other day and almost grabbed it - now I'm going to.

I have been on the firing squad, had flag duty, and carried fellow soldiers as pallbearer - and sometimes all three for the same service. It was an intense experience every single time. I'm getting a throat lump just thinking about it.

Thanks, Janiece.

Jeri said...

Ordered it. Thank you for the recommendation! I'm sure it won't be easy reading - just as I'm sure it will be necessary reading.

vince said...

Also ordered it, along with Denialism by Michael Specter.

Anne C. said...

Interesting. There is a movie in the same vein called The Messenger. Haven't seen it myself but it was praised on NPR.