Voted Best Pictures & they are...

[MOB Karen]

I just had to share these with you guys. Amber & I cried when we saw them.

Here are two pictures that were awarded first and second place as the International Pictures of the Year this year. Very, very touching photos.

First Place:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h52/Karen602/newplane.jpg
When 2nd Lt. James Cathey's body arrived at the RenoAirport, 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 DenverInternationalAirport, Major Steve Beck described the scene as one of the most powerful in the process: "See the people in the windows? They'll 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. They're going to remember bringing that Marine home. And they should."

Second Place:
http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h52/Karen602/bed.jpg
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 done..........

[bnd94]

Oh those are very touching. Thank you for sharing them. So sad

[countrygirl]

Wow, can we say goosebumps???

[CindySue]

Yeah.....goosebumps AND butterflies! Those are awsome! Thanks for sharing!

[WhiskeyGirl]

I cannot ever imagine losing my husband! These pictures made me bawl! Today they are bringing home the bodies of four fallen canadian soldiers, I can only imagine the anguish their wives and families will face today!

[Amber818]

It is just so sad to imagine her pain...

[brewsells]

You people have to warn me when something is going to make me cry!! Thank you for posting those.

[WebLady]

I am in tears and speechless, the first one was sad but the second one got me the most. I couldn't imagine loosing my husband ... like Shawna said, I can only imagine what these military widows go through.

[CindySue]

Right after looking at them, I had to call Brian and tell him how much I loved him. I could never imagine my life without him. The only thing worse than losing him, would be losing one of my kids!

[MOB Karen]

And she was pregnant too. This will break your heart...


Although casualty assistance officers receive an advisory from military morticians about whether a body is "viewable," some families insist on looking. The casualty assistance officer is often the one to make last-minute recommendations, since by then he knows the family and - after the final inspection - knows exactly what the family will see.
Whether or not the family decides on a viewing, Beck said, the procedure is no less meticulous.
In Cathey's case, the family decided not to look under the shroud. But Katherine wanted a few minutes alone with the open casket, to give her husband a few of the things they had shared - and one he never got to see.
Beck ran his hand alongside the shroud, taking one last look at the uniform. He closed the lid and turned toward the door.

Katherine draped her body over the smooth wood, pressing her pregnant belly to the casket, as close to a hug as she could get.
Beck placed a hand on her back.
"Tell me when you're ready," he said. "Take your time."
He stepped back.
The air conditioner clicked on, filling the room with a low hum. Ten minutes passed. It clicked off, leaving the room to her soft moans.
She moved only to adjust her feet, continuing to rub her belly against the wood. She closed her eyes and whispered something.
Then she looked up at Beck.
"OK," she said.
As she stood at his arm, he opened the casket.
She didn't cry. She didn't speak. He gave her a few seconds, then took her hand and brought it to the middle of the empty uniform. He held her hand there and pressed down.
"He's here," he told her. "Feel right here."
She held her hand on the spot, pressing the uniform into the shrouded body beneath. She dragged her hand the length of all that was there.
Beck walked back to get the personal belongings Katherine had brought with her from Colorado.
"Where do you want to start?" he asked.
"With the picture of us kissing," she said.
She placed the picture at the top of the casket, above the neck of the uniform. She bent down and pressed her lips to it.
"I'm always kissing you, baby," she whispered.
She took several other photos of their lives together and placed them around the uniform. She gently added a bottle of her perfume, then picked up the dried, fragile flowers of her wedding bouquet.
Before Jim Cathey had left for officer training, they were married by a justice of the peace in Denver, planning a big wedding on his return from Iraq. Her wedding dress still hangs in her closet at home, unworn.
She placed the flowers alongside the uniform, then turned again to the major.
"The ultrasound," she said.
The fuzzy image was taken two days after her husband's death. Katherine had scheduled the appointment for a day when Jim was supposed to call, so they could both learn the baby's gender together. He had a feeling it was a boy, he had told her. If it was, she suggested they name the child after him.
She stood cradling the ultrasound, then moved forward and placed it on the pillow at the head of the casket. She stood there, watching for several minutes, then removed it.
She walked the length of the casket, then stepped back, still holding the only image of James J. Cathey Jr. She leaned in and placed it over her husband's heart.

[Amber818]

That is the saddest thing I have ever read...

[CindySue]

That is the saddest thing I have ever read...
http://smileys.smileycentral.com/cat/36/36_1_44.gif (http://www.smileycentral.com/?partner=ZSzeb001_ZNxdm414CPUS)Me too!