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July 7, 2008

In this entry: quotes, warm up questions, discussion questions, resources

VIDEO SUMMARY

Lt. Col. Beck We all know that someone has the heart-rending job of telling military families that their loved one has died in combat, but not many of us can guess what that experience is like.

In this video report, the author of a new book called “Final Salute” and Marine Lt. Col. Steven Beck, whose job it is to travel around helping the families of slain soldiers, discuss how their work has changed them.

There is also a moving audio slide show of Beck describing the experience of helping one pregnant widow deal with her husband’s death.

The video and slide show are sad, but also touching. They can help students think and talk about the sacrifices of war and the cultural separation between families directly affected by the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan and Americans whose busy lives can make the conflicts seem very remote.

SELECTED QUOTES

“When you see [soldiers] folding their friend’s flag for the last time, and you see those eyes tear up, it’s not that blank stare that you see from the recruiting poster, and I decided that I wanted to see what was behind those eyes.” - Jim Sheeler, reporter and author of “Final Salute”
“We feel their pain. We understand it, because we, too, have lost someone very important to us, as our brother or sister, but we’re there to be their oak. And that’s the most important part for us, and it’s the role we play for that family.” - Lt. Col. Steven Beck, U.S. Marine Corps
“The sacrifices that these military families make, I don’t think that most of the American public has any — no, not even close to an idea. And the families who’ve lost loved ones, too, that it does continue, and that it’s OK to talk about them, and remember them.” - Jim Sheeler, reporter and author of “Final Salute”

WARM UP QUESTIONS

Do you know anyone who has served in Iraq or Afghanistan? How does the American public find out when a U.S. soldier has died in action? Do you think Americans think about the soldiers fighting in Iraq? Why or why not?

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

How did this video make you feel? Do you identify with Steven Beck? Why or why not? Did this video make you more likely to strike up a conversation with a returned veteran? What would you say to him or her?

What has been the experience of the current returning veterans compared to past conflicts such as the Vietnam or Korean Wars?

If you are curious whether anyone from your hometown has died in the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, use the NewsHour’s casualty database to find out.

RELATED RESOURCES

Transcript of this report
Slide Show
In-depth Coverage: Iraq War

Author

Comments

Posted:
08/23/08 at
12:33 PM
Ray Stewart : I saw the report on The News Hour and was profoundly moved by the interview with Lt. Col. Beck. I immediately went online and ordered a copy of the book to be sent to one of my good friends who is a Vietnam vet. This interview made me very proud to be an American!
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