Katie Zombo
Pulitzer Prize Photograph Analysis
Todd Heisler of The Rocky Mountain News took this photograph. It was a part of a compilation of photographs for "Final Salute," an article by Jim Sheeler that was later published as a book with the same title. Sheeler got a Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing and Heisler got a Pulitzer Prize for Feature Photography in 2006.
The "Final Salute" included 20 photos. They showed the transporting of the casket of fallen Marine 2nd Lt. James Cathey, Cathey's wife's reaction reaction to seeing the casket with the American flag draped over it for the first time, Marines standing guard of the body as people pay their respects, and the picture to the left shows the casket being removed as people are still on the plane looking out.
Click the picture to the left to view the other photographs that were featured in "Final Salute."
Final Salute
Todd Heisler graduated from Illinois State University in 1994 and worked for multiple community newspapers in Suburban Chicago, which is where he grew up. Heisler joined The Rocky Mountain News in Denver, Colorado in 2001.
Heisler had been to Iraq during the Iraq War three times and spent most of his time within the troops taking photographs.
Contrast: The black at the top of the plane and surrounding the cargo hold where the casket is frames and puts emphasis both on the casket and the marines unloading it and on the people's faces in the plane. Also, everybody's faces in the plane are lit up brightly because of the lights inside the plane and it is dark outside.
Color: This is such a powerful image depicting a fallen soldier, so the red and white stripes along the plane match the American flag on the casket and tie the whole picture together. It invokes a sense of national pride and sadness; pride in what the soldier did for our country, pride for the soldier being brought back home, and sadness for what it means for the family, friends, and comrades of the soldier. The red, white, and blue of the flag only emphasize this idea.
Line: The line of windows on the plane frames the entire image. The lines on the plane are perpendicular to the lines on the American flag on the casket. This creates distinction and variation in the image.
Shape: The square opening for the cargo hold is similar to the square-like windows of the plane. This creates unity. Yet the part of the plane engine that is in the picture is sort of triangular, which points towards the cargo hold, thus directing the focus.
Asymmetry: Because the cargo hold is aligned in the lower left quadrant of the image and the windows of the plane go all the way across the top of the image, asymmetry is created.
At first glance, this image creates a feeling of sadness and pride. The viewer's eye is drawn to the casket with the flag draped over it, which immediately notifies the viewer that this is a fallen soldier. Then the viewer notices all the people in the windows of the plane. This can be upsetting because the people are seeing the casket of a soldier being transported from underneath their seats. I cannot imagine what is going through their minds.
One of the other photographs from "Final Salute" show the Marine's wife just outside the plane and seeing her husband's casket for the first time. She grabbed onto one of the Marines in despair at the sight of the flag draped over her husband's body.
Another photograph shows her collapsed on the casket while it is still in the cargo hold of the plane. This would be extremely upsetting to witness first-hand, and it was probably very moving for all the people on the plane. To see that much emotion, it is indescribable.
2nd Lt. James Cathey of the Marines was stationed in Iraq and killed by an explosion on August 21st, 2005. Two days after finding out about his death, his wife, Katherine, found out that they were going to have a son. James Jeffrey Cathey, Jr. was born on December 23rd, 2005. The night before the burial, Katherine did not want to leave the casket. She slept next to her husband's body for the last time, all the while with Marines standing guard. One of the Marines asked if she wanted them to keep standing guard while she slept, and she replied, "I think it would be kind of nice if you kept doing it. I think that's what he would have wanted."
2nd Lt. Cathey enlisted in the Marines when he was 17 years old. He missed graduation ceremonies because he had entered basic training. He continued on to the University of Colorado to earn degrees in history and anthropology. He had been deployed to East Timor and twice to Okinowa before being sent to Iraq. Cathey was named Marine of the Year in his division and was a member of the Super Squad for his battalion twice.