Last Salute

They are the troops that nobody wants to see, carrying a message that no military family ever wants to hear. Since the start of the war in Iraq, Marines like Major Steve Beck found themselves charged with a mission they never asked for and one for which there can be no training: casualty notification. In Final Salute, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jim Sheeler weaves together the stories of the fallen, the broken homes they have left behind, and one man's effort to help heal the wounds of those left grieving. But it is not a book about war, politics, or liberal vs. conservative. Achingly beautiful and honest, it is a book that every American-every human-can embrace.

From the author of The Campaign and No Rules of Engagement… Pamela Wright will never forgive her sister for dying in the Afghanistan war, or the Army for Laura’s death, or anyone else for making it okay for Laura to go halfway around the world to fight for reasons Pam has never fathomed. Numb with grief, she buries her sister but not her rage. Among the mourners is Trish Tomlinson, who loved Laura long ago and has found the news of Laura’s death sharply painful. She remembers Pam as an unwelcome third wheel, but now finds comfort in the company of the young medical resident, and in the details of Laura’s journal that Pam shares. Brought together by grief, something more grows. Guilt and anger cloud their feelings and jeopardize any chance at a future. How can love blossom in the shadow of death?

The Sound of Music endeared Georg von Trapp (1880?1947) and his singing family to the world, and it also showed how desperately the Nazis wanted Captain von Trapp for their navy. In To the Last Salute we learn why. Trapp?s own story of his exploits as a submarine commander during the First World War is as exciting as it is instructive, bringing to stirring life a little-known chapter in the naval history of that war. In his many guises, Trapp describes life as captain of Austro-Hungarian U-boats in the Mediterranean and Adriatic seas, emerging by turn as the Imperial Austrian naval officer, the witty observer of international politics, and the indefatigable and ultimately heartbroken patriot opposing the Allied enemy. He relates deadly duels with submarine sweepers, narrow escapes and excruciatingly close calls, and the spectacular sinking of cargo and war ships?all while maintaining a keen sense of the camaraderie of seamen from every corner of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. Trapp?s story, in English for the first time, offers a rare combination of human interest, historical insight, and true life-and-death adventure.

Introduction A Trip to Canada September 3, 1944 On the above date, two brothers, Jay and Win Schofield, briefly crossed the Canadian border from New York to gather a few documents then return to America. Why? Each needed naturalized citizen status to join the U. S. Army. Jay, at twenty-five, and Win ten years older, were both drafted and eager to serve their country in what would be World War II. Two other brothers, Llew and Brent, had already become eligible. The required documentation for Jay and Win were requisites to prove they were born in the province of Nova Scotia, Canada, some twenty years earlier. It would have been a simple matter of simply asking for their respective birth certificates, getting sworn in, and packing for boot camp. It got complicated. In Halifax, there had been a fire around the time of their familys migration to America destroying their birth records. Jay and Win got their desired status and entered the military. My Life Went On That story was related to me back in the 1950s but, in typical fashion of a self-absorbed teen rebel, I saw little value in the story. Like most boys that age, my immediate focal points were Whats for supper? or Did the Red Sox win last night? or Wholl be my date for Fridays record hop? I mean Really ... that war happened when I was a few months old, What value could it have to me? How wrong I was. The years went by including college, marriage, family, and work. Buried in the background of my thinking, lingered the question about the brothers Canadian visit and what changes the family had undergone before and after that point. It became even more of a topic considering todays Americas red-hot immigration issue with the Mexican border. What would compel family members back then to fight for their adopted country? Today, Canada has become Americas forgotten northern border while our southern Mexican border captures most of the national interest. We hear of both electronic and structural fences, our National Guards involvement, a drug war with Mexican cartels, and wanton illegal crossings bringing murders of Americas border states citizens. Regrets? For Sure! In 1980, the urgency to ask my dad family questions became more critical following his cancer diagnosis. Hoping to make up for lost time I suggested, nine years later, I write his life story. An endless barrage of questions while he was undergoing the ravages of invasive cancer treatment would prove tiresome. Despite repeated chemical invasions, he persevered. For the first time, I witnessed him crying as he related his mothers undying dedication while she helped him memorize his lines before his high school performance, The Mikado. Even today, I can hear my dads tears on that tape, as he confirmed he never missed a line. Dad shared his familys work ethic: getting to the job despite sickness or hard times. They toiled at multiple, often menial, jobs providing for their four sons and daughter. He spoke lovingly of his parents including his dad dying in 1951 and then losing his mom nine years later. Those tapes provided me long-lasting insights and inspiration. I learned elders are eager to share their lives if someone asked the right questions. Thrilled to tip over that first domino, I knew the interviews had built his storys foundation. Although he was a rookie at dying; I was a rookie at writing; yet we both persisted like veterans. In a few months, his life story formed. I transcribed the interview, did parallel research, and crafted his memoirs the best an emerging author could. The process and the result brought us unparalleled joy. Upon completion, he read, and re-read, the story then gushed on about how much he appreciated my effort. He died knowing his life story would be saved and passed down. Infected with a Memoirs / Schofield history bug, I vowed to carry on. Filling In Some Blanks The family questions, however, gnawed at me. I wanted