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2006 Pulitzer Prize Winner


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Marine Major Steve Beck prepares for the final inspection of 2nd Lt. James J. Cathey's body, only days after notifying Cathey's wife of the Marine's death in Iraq.The knock at the door begins a ritual steeped in tradition more than two centuries old; a tradition based on the same tenet: "Never leave a Marine behind." When the wars began in Afghanistan and Iraq, Maj. Steve Beck expected to find himself overseas, in the heat of battle. He never thought he would be the one arranging funerals for his fallen comrades.

 

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At the first sight of her husband's flag-draped casket, Katherine Cathey broke into uncontrollable sobs, finding suport in the arms of Major Steve Beck. When Beck first knocked on her door in Brighton, Colo., to notify her of her husband's death, she glared at him, cursed him, and refused to speak to him for more than an hour. Over the next several days, he helped guide her through the grief. By the time they reached the tarmac, she wouldn't let go.

 

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When 2nd Lt. James Cathey's body arrived at the Reno Airport, Marines climbed into the cargo hold of the plane and draped the flag over his casket as passengers watched the family gather on the tarmac. During the arrival of another Marine's casket last year at Denver International Airport, Major Steve Beck described the scene as one of the most powerful in the process. "See the people in the windows? They sit right there in the plane, watching those Marines. You gotta wonder what's going through their minds, knowing that they're on the plane that brought him home," he said. "They're going to remember being on that plane for the rest of their lives. And they should."

 

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Minutes after her husband's casket arrived at the Reno airport, Katherine Cathey fell onto the flag. When 2nd Lt. James Cathey left for Iraq, he wrote a letter to Katherine that read, in part, "there are no words to describe how much I love you, and will miss you. I will also promise you one thing: I will be home. I have a wife and a new baby to take care of, and you guys are my world."

 

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Major Steve Beck and another Marine approach the family home of 2nd Lt. James Cathey, preparing to escort the Catheys to the airport to receive their son's body. Five days earlier, the shadows of Casualty Assistance Call Officers followed the same path, carrying the news no military family ever wants to hear. "I'll never forget Major Beck's profile." Said Bob Burns of the night he was notified of his son's death. The gold star flag in the window signifies the death of a loved one oversees.

 

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Jo Burns cries as she and her husband Bob opened the boxes containing their son's uniforms from Iraq -- boxes delivered by Maj. Steve Beck. "For me, having all this back is a good thing," she said a few minutes later. "I want to remember. I don't ever want to forget, or to stop feeling." Bob Burns then took her hand. "I don't want to forget either," he said. "I just don't want to hurt."

 

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Marine Sgt. Jeremy Kocher stands watch near the body of Lance Cpl. Evenor Herrera in Eagle, as children and adults from the area poured in to pay their respects. Like many of the Marines stationed at Buckley Air Force Base in Aurora, Kocher says the funeral detail is the most difficult mission he's ever done."I actually start thinking about it the moment I wake up. It's such an important job that I just don't want to mess it up," he said. "I just want it to be perfect."

 

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Members of the Marine Air Control Squadron 23 stationed at Buckley Air Force Base escort the casket of Marine Lance Corporal Evenor Herrera through the town of Eagle, Colo., to his gravesite. Since the beginning of the war, Marines from Buckley have overseen funerals for 18 active duty Marines; 14 died in Iraq, four died in traffic accidents.

 

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Marines lift the flag off the casket of Lance Cpl. Evenor Herrera, preparing to fold it for the last time and present it to Herrera's parents, Blanca and David Stibbs, center. After watching so many scenes of grief, the Marines involved say the cries of the family never leave their mind. "It's almost enough to wish that you could take his place, so these people wouldn't hurt so much," said Sgt. Kevin Thomas.

 

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While visiting Denver for a ceremony honoring fallen Marines, Lori DeMille, Oceanside, Calif., touches the headstone of Marine Lance Corporal Kyle Burns, who was killed in Fallujah on November 11, 2004, at Fort Logan National Cemetery. DeMille and a group of Marines who served with Burns in Iraq came to Colorado to pay their respects to Burns and his family.

 

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After learning that a family had received their son's posthumous medals in the mail, Major Steve Beck planned an event he called "Remembering the Brave," during which he personally presented medals to families he has watched over. "When you think about what these guys did, it's not easy to look at these medals," he said. "What's the trade-off? How do you say 'This is for your son?'"

 

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Jo Burns clings to Corporal Dustin Barker, 22, during the "Remembering the Brave" ceremony honoring the actions of fallen Marines. Corporal Barker was with Jo Burns' son, Lance Corporal Kyle Burns, when he was killed in action in Fallujah on November 11, 2004.

 

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During the formal ceremony, called "Remembering the Brave," which was held at a Holiday Inn in Denver, Captain Chris Sutherland, left, Sergeant Major Jeff Study, Staff Sergeant Clifford Grimes and Gunnery Sergeant Todd Martin prepare to deliver posthumous medals to the families of fallen Marines. They also presented each family with a vase of yellow roses -- one rose for each year of the Marine's life.

 

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After arriving at the funeral home, Katherine Cathey pressed her pregnant belly to her husband's casket, moaning softly. Two days after she was notified of Jim's death in Iraq, he found out they would have a boy. Born on December 23, 2005, he was named James Jeffrey Cathey, Jr.

 

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Since James Cathey was killed in a massive explosion, his body was delicately wrapped in a shroud by military morticians, then his Marine uniform was laid atop his body. Since Katherine Cathey decided not to view her husband's body, Maj. Steve Beck took her hand, and pressed it down on the uniform. "He's here," he said quietly. "Feel right here."

 

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The night before the burial of her husband's body, Katherine Cathey refused to leave the casket, asking to sleep next to his body for the last time. The Marines made a bed for her, tucking in the sheets below the flag. Before she fell asleep, she opened her laptop computer and played songs that reminded her of "Cat," and one of the Marines asked if she wanted them to continue standing watch as she slept. "I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it," she said. "I think that's what he would have wanted."

 

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For three days straight, Marines stood watch over the body of 2nd Lt. Jame Cathey, taking periodic breaks in a room within the mortuary, where Staff Sgt. David Rubio rubbed his eyes after a nap. Rubio was sent to represent the Marines from the University of Colorado, where he first met Cathey. "I've never stood that kind of duty," Rubio said. "When you're in college, you're so detached from what's happening in Iraq...The more we talk about it the harder it seems to get."

 

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The day before the funeral of their friend, 2nd Lt. Jon Mueller, left and 1st Lt. Matthew Baumann practiced for hours folding a flag, making sure there would be no errors the next day. "That will be the last time his flag is folded, " Said Maj. Steve Beck, as he instructed them. "It has to be perfect."

 

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As his son's funeral neared, Jeff Cathey's tears rarely stopped. He often found comfort in the men who shared his son's uniform. "Someone asked me what I learned from my son," he said. "He taught me you need more than one friend."

 

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As a young infantry Marine, James Cathey and his buddies took a trip to Iwo Jima, where they camped on the beach, remembering the nearly 6,000 Marines who died there during World War II. Before Cathey and his friends left the island, they each took a sackful of sand from the beach. After Cathey's funeral, his comrades laid their white gloves on his casket, then took fistfuls of the sand and drizzled it over them.

 

http://www.pulitzer.org/year/2006/feature-photography/bio/

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Great pictures. They really tell the whole story. I love the one of the widow pressing her pregnant belly to the casket, and her spending the night next to it.
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Taps

 

Day is done

gone the sun

from the Lakes

from the hills

from the sky

all is well

safely rest

God is nigh

 

Fading light

Dims the sight,

And a star gems the sky,

Gleaming bright,

From afar,

Drawing nigh,

Falls the night.

 

Thanks and praise,

For our days,

Neath the sun,

Neath the stars,

Neath the sky,

As we go, This we know,

God is nigh.

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