HBO: A Fallen Hero's Journey Home

A Fallen Hero’s Journey Home Comes to HBO 

by Donna Teresa, Homefront Journal

What started as one of many moving accounts of war from the book "Operation Homecoming-Writing the Wartime Experience" by Lt. Col. Mike Strobl comes to HBO on Feb. 21.

"Taking Chance" is the personal journey Strobl had written about after accompanying the body of fallen marine Lance Cpl. Chance R. Phelps across America to his final resting place in Wyoming.  Since America’s involvement in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, many fallen warriors have returned home, and what many Americans do not get to see is the personal care, attention and love that their military escorts give until these men and women are returned home to their families. 

Phelps was killed April 9, 2004 in Iraq. Gretchen Phelps, Chance’s mother, is grateful that HBO portrayed her son’s journey home with such sensitivity and care.

"We viewed the movie as a family in early December of 2008. Our family thought HBO did a beautiful job portraying the events that Lt. Col. Strobl encountered across the country as he brought our son home. It actually portrays a side of the military that most citizens are not aware of," Phelps said. "That being said, it was still gut-wrenching to watch. One of the great things about the movie is that it is not a political movie. It is a portrait of America and her people and the times we live in. Over 4,000 families who have loved and lost will be able to relate to the events in this movie.

"The escorts, who accompany the fallen home, are angels. The kindness, respect and love that are shown in Dover in detail are breathtaking. We have remained in touch with Lt. Col Strobl and his family. He is a wonderful guy, and feels like a brother to me. I will never forget the day I met him, it was the day of Chance’s funeral. We all gathered in a small computer lab at the Dubois High School to visit and he gave us a few items that were on my son’s body. Basically, all we did for quite some time was cry. Mike’s crying made the mother in me kick in, and all I wanted to do was comfort him, and thank him for bringing Chance home. So, yes, he is definitely a friend and definitely my brother."

Like so many young men and women who serve our military, their stories are unique and to every mother and father each one is special.

"Chance was a great son, a proud Marine, and one of the funniest guys I have ever known. He was very into sports — played football, wrestled as a young boy through high school. He loved hunting and fishing. Chance was a very funny guy on the outside, but had a kind and generous heart; always willing to help those who seemed to need it the most," Phelps said. "He did love being the funny man, imitating Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Carrey and Buzz Lightyear right up until the day he died. He loved all kinds of music, he listened to a lot of country music, but loved all my favorite groups from the ’70s too like Lynyrd Skynyrd, Steve Miller and the Doobie Brothers. And he loved rap music, probably because he could incorporate that element of goofiness into him while rapping along. He loved the Dallas Cowboys and, of course, the Denver Broncos. When he was a younger boy he was into the Chicago Bulls."

The Chance Phelps Foundation chancephelps.org keeps the memory of Chance alive through many events that help raise money that benefit such charities as the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund and the Fisher House.

On a personal note, I’d like to thank Chance’s mother, Gretchen, for being so gracious to me and sharing her thoughts about her special son. I’d also like to thank each and every one out there in America who line the streets, airports, highways in the rain and snow, in any weather, to give every fallen hero like Chance, the hero’s welcome home they deserve. To Strobl and all the military escorts who have had the honor of accompanying America’s fallen back home to their loved ones, thanks for what you do. You’ll never know what comfort you have brought to these families.

Borrowing the lyrics from one of my favorite Doobie Brothers songs, Chance this one’s for you, from "Listen to the Music"

Don’t you feel it growin’, day by day

People gettin’ ready for the news

Some are happy, some are sad

Oh, we got to let the music play

What the people need

Is a way to make ’em smile

It ain’t so hard to do if you know how

Gotta get a message

Get it on through …

Donna Teresa can be reached at [email protected]