“Final Salute,” a new book a must read for military families

“The curtains pull away. They come to the door. And they know. They always know.”

— Major Steve Beck



Hello Everyone,

I apologize for the mass e-mail, but If you are receiving this message you have written to me in the past regarding, “Final Salute,” the story I wrote for the Rocky Mountain News in 2005. I am pleased to tell all of you that I have expanded the story into a new book, “Final Salute,” which is set for publication on May 1 through The Penguin Press. I spent much of the past year in my basement, sifting through piles of notebooks – some of them still tear-stained, some of them now stained with new tears – in an attempt to compile nearly five years of reporting into a single story that shines a light into the scenes behind the sacrifices of military families and the people who care for them. The book includes 24 pages of full-color photographs, including some of the iconic, Pulitzer Prize-winning photos taken by Todd Heisler. I know many of you found me through blogs, military groups, and e-mail lists, and I would be grateful if you could spread the word. The book is available online and, beginning this week, should be on the shelves of your favorite bookstore. I am about to embark on a book tour – you can find the schedule and more information at http://www.jimsheeler.com – but if you are unable to make it to one of the cities listed, I would be happy to sign a book for you, just e-mail me here at jsheeler@mac.com. Thanks again for all the kind words and support in the past. And for those of you in the military, thank you even more for your service.

“Final Salute” begins with a knock at the door. For thousands of families, that knock never ends. Please remember them and their loved ones. It’s all they ask, and the very least we can do.

Thank you,

Jim Sheeler



Here is a link to an interview that aired today on NPR's Fresh Air with Terri Gross:

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=90065224

Below you’ll find advance praise for the book:

“(Final Salute)… should be required reading for all Americans” -Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)

"Jim Sheeler's Final Salute is an act of national service. Like no other book I've seen, it captures the human costs of going to war. Combat's pride and pain are here, along with the tragic truth that some give all, while most give none. This is a beautiful book that deserves, demands, to be read." -Nathaniel Fick, author of One Bullet Away: The Making of a Marine Officer

“Final Salute is an extraordinary book, an exploration of a national loss that we badly need. Jim Sheeler writes with such direct honesty about an absolutely heart-rending subject that you will very likely read much of it, as I did, with tears in your eyes. And yet you will want to read every page, gathering along the way an intensely deepened appreciation and love for America’s communities, its citizens, and its servicemen and women.” -Nick Arvin, author of Articles of War

“Final Salute is a searing and unforgettable piece of work from one of the most supernaturally gifted reporters of our time. Jim Sheeler has the heart and the talent to chronicle the real cost of war. With his quiet persistence and endless empathy, he guides the reader inside hushed and sacred moments that most of us can scarcely imagine.” - Thomas French, author of Unanswered Cries and South of Heaven, and winner of the 1998 Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing

“Jim Sheeler’s Final Salute should be required reading for all Americans and their elected leaders. It is not pro or anti war, but instead a gripping account of combat’s price on the families of the fallen. Final Salute is also the inspirational and often heartbreaking story of the incredible, heroic efforts of a Marine officer to help ease the pain of these families. Jim Sheeler should be saluted for providing a heartfelt view inside the returns home from Iraq that too often pass unrecognized by the American public.” -Paul Rieckhoff, Executive Director and Founder, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. Author of Chasing Ghosts

"With his words, Jim Sheeler has taken what has been a very personal journey for all the families of the fallen and opened the eyes of the world to the tears and sacrifice we have made and the respect and honor paid to our sons. He has been given a magnificent gift of writing from the heart...I could not have been more proud of him if he were my own son." -Terry Cooper, mother of Marine Lance Corporal Thomas Slocum, the first Coloradan killed in Iraq

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