A new book reviewed in the New York Times and photographs of grief almost too great to bear.
Dirge Without Music
I am not resigned to the shutting away of loving hearts in the hard ground.
So it is, and so it will be, for so it has been, time out of mind:
Into the darkness they go, the wise and the lovely. Crowned
With lilies and with laurel they go; but I am not resigned.
Lovers and thinkers, into the earth with you.
Be one with the dull, the indiscriminate dust.
A fragment of what you felt, of what you knew,
A formula, a phrase remains, — but the best is lost.
The answers quick & keen, the honest look, the laughter, the love,
They are gone. They have gone to feed the roses. Elegant and curled
Is the blossom. Fragrant is the blossom. I know. But I do not approve.
More precious was the light in your eyes than all the roses in the world.
Down, down, down into the darkness of the grave
Gently they go, the beautiful, the tender, the kind;
Quietly they go, the intelligent, the witty, the brave.
I know. But I do not approve. And I am not resigned.
– Edna St. Vincent Millay
I read his series in the Rocky Mountain News and it almost broke my heart, while filling it with pride. Major Beck is a treasure. I truly feel that people would be more appreciative of these Warriors if they read their names and stories. Surely, we owe them, their friends and families that – at the very least. I’ll be getting the book.
Back in 1967 when the CACO duties were assigned in our office at NAS Alameda, I felt a great sense of relief that I had not been given that duty.
The officer that was chosen, LCDR Virgil Gonsalves, did a superb job. He would often vent his feelings to me while describing the devastating scenes of grief he was witness to. It was a solemn and important duty. He did his best and certainly knew how to comfort people far better than I would have. He often felt helpless in the face of such emotions, but he carried on and did his best to help and guide the bereaved through all the necessary processes. I have often thought that there should be some kind of medal, extra pay, or other recognition for those who do this sacred duty.
Though our son didn’t die as a result of military service, I know how the bereaved parents feel. For a child to die young is a grievous insult to what we consider to be the natural order of things.
When I look back on WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Desert Storm, Somalia, and now Iraq/Afghanistan I see dead heroes and bereaved parents in the millions. So much heartbreak and sorrow. So many dreams and hopes shattered.
And what can we take away from it all? Only this: Those of us who remain can only feel supremely fortunate that such young men and their families were willing to sacrifice for the cause of freedom. We must grieve the losses, but we must also live our lives in a way that honors those who have shed blood and tears to insure that freedom will continue.
I hope this book will open people’s eyes to those solemn facts.
No matter how many times I see the picturest they still bring tears to my eyes.
CACO and funeral duty was prob the hardest duty I’ve ever done. See the best in people and the worst. But then I’d remember that years ago, notifications were done by telegrams. Our way is better.
Book should be required reading.
Claudio
The Final Salute series is very moving. The Rocky Mountain News still has it available to read. http://www.rockymountainnews.com/special-reports/final-salute/
I devoured the book in one day. It was beautiful and painful. I cried almost all the way through it but it was so worth the read.
So worth the read that I emailed Jim Sheeler and told him as much.
My husband was Kyle Burns’ and Sam Holder’s battalion commander and the Lundstroms are old friends of ours so the book was pretty personal. He seemed to take great care with the families, the CACO and most importantly, the fallen.