America at the Crossroads : 'Taking Chance' ~ Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, USMC (Ret.)

On April 9, 2004 Private First Class Chance Phelps, a Marine with 3rd Battalion 11th Marines 1st Marine Division, was killed while conducting convoy escort.
Seeing that PFC (Later awarded a posthumous promotion to Lance Corporal) Phelps had the town of Clifton, Colorado as his hometown, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobl had requested to escort PFC Phelps to Dubois, Wyoming. (Strobl, who was from Grand Junction, Colorado found out that while Phelps had lived in Clifton in his senior year of High School, was actually from Dubios.)

During the trip, Strobl kept a diary of the experience and his feelings. After he concluded the mission, he wrote an essay entitled "A Marine's Journey Home" from the notes in the diary, and shared it with Phelps's father John. The essay appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on May 2, 2004 (with the approval of John Phelps), and then a longer version (of 5,375 words) appeared in the July issue of Marine Corps Gazette as "Taking Chance".

PFC Phelps was buried in Dubois, Wyoming on April 17, 2004. In attendance were his parents, stepparents, sister (who was in the Navy), the Chief of Naval Intelligence (for whom his sister was an aide), and every veterans organization within 90 miles (140 km). Several days later, a memorial service was held in Camp Ramadi, Iraq, by his unit.

In 2009, Lt. Col Strobl's story was made into the acclaimed HBO movie, Taking Chance, staring Kevin Bacon as Lt. Col. Strobl. (Bacon won the Golden Globe at the 67th Golden Globes in 2009 for Best performance in a mini-series or TV film.)

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[usagoodbyeisayhello]

Nice video. It reminds me of a family friend (and former Marine Infantry officer) who once traveled across the US to give his personal condolences to the family members of each and every Marine under his command who was KIA in Vietnam.

[JMFiorato1986]

That was very kind of him. No Marine should be left behind... or forgotten. Reminds me of a story I read when the Fmr. Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Peter Pace, USMC (Ret.) finished up his tim in the position, he went to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, where he left several handwritten notes dated for that day...

[JMFiorato1986]

@usagoodbyeisayhello ... with a set of his four-star General insignia attached to each one. Each note said: "For (So and so), USMC These are yours not mine! With love and respect, your platoon leader, Pete Pace."

[BubbaLee2]

awesome vid

[anteracmacash]

Damn dude, I love that movie !!!

tnx for uploading the short documentary :)