After the Fall
Around the Clock
At his home in Aurora, Colorado, Maj. Steve Beck, site commander of Marine Air Control Squadron 23 at Buckley Air Force Base, hugs his wife Julie before leaving at 2 a.m. to conduct a casualty notification. "If it was your son," he says, "would you want us to let you sleep?"
The Journey Home
Marines unload the body of 2nd Lieut. Jim Cathey, 24, from a commercial flight to Reno, Nevada, as passengers watch.
Grief Catcher
Clinging to Beck, Katherine Cathey of Brighton, Colorado, breaks down at the sight of the coffin of her husband Jim, a second lieutenant killed by a booby trap in Al Karmah. She cursed Beck when he arrived and wouldn't speak to him for an hour. But by the time they reached the airport, she wouldn't let go.
Final Farewell
Katherine Cathey weeps on her husband's casket at the Reno airport as Major Beck comforts her. She clung to it for several minutes, refusing to move. "I know Jim's going to be with me in so many ways," she said later. "And there will be so many people who will teach his son about his father."
Last Vigil
On the eve of the funeral, Katherine insisted on sleeping next to Jim's body, so the Marines arranged a bed and offered to stand guard through the night. She fell asleep to music she and Jim had planned to play at their formal wedding celebration when he returned.
A Father's Lesson
Jim Cathey's father, Jeff, hugs a Marine as his son's funeral nears. "Someone asked me what I learned from my son," he said. "He taught me you need more than one friend."
Step by Step
Beck takes the effects of Lance Corporal Kyle Burns, killed in a fire fight in Fallujah, to parents Bob and Jo in Laramie, Wyo.
Honor
Jo thanks Beck after accepting her son Kyle's medals.
Home Comforts
Beck hugs his kids Stephen, 2, and Lindsey and Abigail, both 4. After one burial, "all I wanted to do was play with my children," he says. "But all I was thinking about while I was playing was all those guys out there in harm's way, making all that possible."
http://denver.rockymountainnews.com/news/finalSalute/