Posted by Tina
Two important films have recently caught my attention. The first was the HBO movie, Taking Chance, with Kevin Bacon. The story is based on a journal kept by Michael Stroble, a Desert Storm veteran who agreed to accompany the body of a fallen Marine on the journey back to his family:
Kevin Bacon taken with HBO’s ‘Taking Chance’ movie, by Mark Dawidziak/Plain Dealer Television Critic
** Strobl began noticing the deeply personal responses to his mission at the Dover Port Mortuary. *** “During the two days I was at Dover, I think they had about a dozen departures of remains,” said Strobl, now retired from the Marines. “And every time the remains would leave, these construction workers would stop their work, put their hard hats over their hearts, and stand at their version of attention. And seeing that, I realized I want to remember this because there’s really some goodness there, these people doing this every time the remains depart. **
** “Then the hearse driver on the way to Philadelphia, the flight attendant who gave me a crucifix, and the only thing she said to me was, ‘I want you to have this,’ and she left. The baggage handlers, the cargo people, the pilots, the flight attendants — all of these people who you can presume covered the spectrum of political views — they all had this profound sense of gratitude and sorrow at Chance’s loss. … People who didn’t know Chance, didn’t know the circumstances of his death. All they knew was he was a Marine who died in combat, and they represented, to me, all that’s good about America.” **
Visit Run4Chance-The Chance Phelps Foundation to learn more about Lance Cpl. Chance Phelps, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment, who was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star with Combat Distinguishing Device for his heroic action during the ambush that claimed his life at age 19 in the Al Anbar province of Iraq.
The second film is called Brothers at War”. Gary Sinise tells about the film in the article in Commentary, “We cant do enough for our veterans’
** A while back, a friend of mine suggested that I take a look at a film that a buddy of his had made about his two brothers serving in Iraq. *** Having spent some time there myself, I was eager to see it. Once I did, I wanted to do all I could to help the filmmakers find a distributor and get this wonderful film into the theaters. *** I was honored to be asked to come on board as executive producer of the film, “Brothers at War,” an honest and inside look at our military service members. It’s told through the point of view of one brother who is in search of answers as to why his two younger brothers are serving in Iraq and what they and their families are doing during these long deployments. *** I got involved with the film “Brothers at War” because I believe it shows a side of our military that is rarely seen. The call to duty that many of our military members share is depicted in the film through Isaac and Joe Rademacher. *** They are the two brothers who Jake Rademacher, the filmmaker, travels to Iraq to see in order to experience for himself why they serve and what they are doing while deployed away from their families in this dangerous environment. *** It makes me proud to know we have such men and women willing to give so much in defense of our nation. **