February 2009
Movie Review
The Story of a Fallen Marine’s Final Journey Home
By Mary D. Karcher
Photo by James Bridges/HBO
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On Good Friday, April 9, 2004, one month after deploying to Iraq with 3d Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, First Marine Division, Private First Class Chance Phelps was killed by hostile fire in Al Anbar province. Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobl, a manpower analyst assigned to the Marine Corps Combat Development Command in Quantico, Va., volunteered to escort Phelps’ body home to Dubois, Wyo.
On his return trip to Virginia, LtCol Strobl began to write an official trip report, but the report evolved into a poignant reflection of the actions and emotions of Americans throughout the journey who, being touched by the sight of the escort performing his duty, respectfully recognized the sacrifice made by PFC Phelps and his family.
“Taking Chance,” the resulting story, was circulated widely on the Internet, appeared in the Marine Corps Gazette (www.mca-marines.org/leatherneck/takingchance) and other media, and eventually landed in the hands of executive producer Brad Krevoy, who brought the project to HBO. The film by the same name is a masterful re-creation of the journey, an archetypical American military journey that not only deeply touches the working men and women who witness the transport of Phelps’ remains, but will pierce the heart of everyone who tunes in to the film’s debut Saturday, Feb. 21, at 8 p.m. ET/PT.
Through Strobl’s story, the intensely private military procedure that provides a uniformed escort for casualties is unveiled to viewers. From the beginning of the journey at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, to the arrival at the Dover Port Mortuary at Dover Air Force Base, Del., whether in midnight darkness or pouring rain, military personnel in formation render honors by slowly saluting remains as they are loaded ceremoniously onto aircraft or hearse.
The film re-creates the delicate care taken to prepare the bodies for burial, from scrubbing the dirt of war from fingernails to removing blood from a watch, using a cotton swab. Despite the decision of a closed casket funeral for Phelps, the tailors at Dover made certain every aspect of his uniform conformed to regulations, including the six medals earned by this PFC and the burnished eagle, globe and anchor on his belt buckle.
The strength of the film is the near-absence of the filmmaker’s footprint or a political agenda. Emotive images and a modicum of dialog let the powerful story demonstrate the loss of one human life to the many people who are involved in the process of bringing Chance home. From the landscapers in Dover who pause from work with hats removed, to cargo handlers, ticket agents, a pilot and a flight attendant—who offers a small gold cross to Strobl without so much as a whispered “I want you to have this”—Strobl is touched by the respect and sincerity of their gestures.
While “Taking Chance” is the story of one Marine being escorted to his final resting place, it shows the sacrifice of military personnel throughout the ages. And while their sacrifice was not always appreciated, the film alerts all to the value of that sacrifice. But the viewer also will be struck by Strobl’s reaction to the civilians’ expressions of appreciation, pointedly mentioned by a fellow military escort at the airport. The film deftly demonstrates this mutual appreciation among military and civilians.
In the final scenes, Strobl, played by actor Kevin Bacon, tells Phelps’ family: “I want you to know you do not mourn alone today. All across America, from Virginia to Delaware, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Montana and Wyoming, people are thinking of you and praying for you. You should know that Chance has touched many people.”
In the role of LtCol Strobl, Bacon excels at portraying the senior Marine. His military bearing and Marine Corps uniform—two qualities essential to Marines for the credence of any film production—are impeccable. Bacon powerfully conveys respect and empathy more through actions than words, such as when he repeatedly reviews Phelps’ personal effects, lending even more weight to the few words he speaks.
Viewers will sense the frustration of this Desert Storm veteran who works in a cubicle each day, while scanning the DOD Web site listing the names of the fallen each night. It is his feelings of guilt for being Stateside with family while fellow Marines are fighting and dying that spurs him to volunteer for the escort duty.
Marines may take issue with the impression some viewers could receive that Strobl’s motive for escorting Phelps home was solely to find solace for his guilt. Given emphasis in a lengthy conversation, which marked a deviation from the character’s laconic style, he confesses his guilt to a Korean War veteran at a Wyoming Veterans of Foreign Wars post. While Marines know fellow leathernecks would not take an attitude of “it’s all about me,” one hopes civilians will take away how much more difficult it is for Marines to stand on the sidelines, even in a supporting role, than it is for them to join the fight.
The journey taken by LtCol Strobl, which is so poignantly portrayed in this film, epitomizes the sacrifice given unselfishly by military personnel and their families, who are forever changed by war. Americans who joined Strobl on his journey, as well as the estimated 2,000 people who lined Dubois’ Main Street while a team of horses pulled Phelps’ flag-draped casket to the burial site, is a testament to the patriotism of many Americans.
A Few Details About “Taking Chance”
A Motion Picture Corporation of America and a Civil Dawn Pictures Production; Executive Produced by Brad Krevoy, Cathy Wischner-Sola and Ross Katz; Co-Executive Produced by William Teitler; Produced by Lori Keith Douglas; Screenplay by LtCol Michael R. Strobl, USMC (Ret) and Ross Katz, based on the journal by LtCol Michael R. Strobl, USMC (Ret). Strobl also served as military consultant to the film.
Private First Class Chance Phelps posthumously was awarded the Bronze Star with combat distinguishing device for his heroic actions during the ambush that led to his death.
“Taking Chance” was filmed on location in New Jersey and Montana. The U.S. Department of Defense provided access to military personnel and equipment, including McGuire Air Force Base, N.J.
Dover Air Force Base’s funeral director, William “Ziggy” Zwicharowski, and Marine liaison Master Sergeant Victor Szalankiewicz, USMC supervised the filming of scenes depicting the mortuary on a set built at Bergen Community College in northern New Jersey.
Dover AFB located in Delaware has received the remains of more than 50,000 fallen U.S. soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines, as well as government officials and their families stationed abroad in Europe and Southwest Asia.
“Taking Chance” was the first film shot on the tarmac at Newark International Airport since Sept. 11, 2001.
For more information, visit www.hbo.com/films/index.html
—HBO
