Pictures of the year...
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 so powerful: 'See the people
in the windows? They sat 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 will remember being on that plane for the
rest of their lives. They're going to remember bringing that Marine home. And
they should.'
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'.
This last one needs no commentary