There was no brother leaning back with his arms folded.

The chairs were nothing but metal frames baking in the sun.

I looked beyond the empty chairs to the rows of enlisted Marines behind them.

Corporal Jared Brandt was sitting at the end of the third row.

He sat bolt upright, his hands resting flat on his knees.

Captain Miller sat on the center aisle, following the ceremony with intense attention.

These were the people who mattered to me now.