Taking Chance

               When Taking Chance first came out, I heard about the film but I did not know much about it.  I knew it starred Kevin Bacon and that his character was in the military.  Also I knew the film had something to do with visiting the family of a fallen soldier.  Beyond that the movie was a mystery to me.  Then it showed up in the recommended film section and I threw it on my list.  The disc would arrive when it arrives and that was it.  After seeing the film I am so happy I put it in my queue.  Even though it is on the short side, every minute has a lot of impact and I feel this is a film everyone should see.              

                Marine Lt. Colonel Michael Strobl (Kevin Bacon) is struggling with the fact that he is not fighting in Iraq.  Instead he is working a desk job and goes home to his family every day.  While he has had a long military career, Lt. Colonel Strobl feels that by not being overseas he is missing something.  When he sees someone from his hometown has been killed, these feelings compel Lt. Colonel Strobl to escort the fallen soldier home.

                After going through training on how to be an escort, Lt. Colonel Strobl learns he will not be going to his hometown in Colorado but to Wyoming.  The soldier he is escorting, PFC Chance Phelps, enlisted in Colorado, but Wyoming is where his family lives.  Lt. Colonel Strobl is disappointed when he learns this, but he follows through with his plan to escort PFC Phelps home.

                Lt. Colonel Strobl meets a lot of people on his way to Wyoming.  They let him know how much they respect and care about what he is doing.  One of the most memorable people is another escort Lt. Colonel Strobl encounters in Minneapolis.  While Lt. Colonel Strobl never met PFC Phelps, the other escort knew his soldier well.  It is his brother.

                It is not until Lt. Colonel Strobl reaches Wyoming that he begins to learn about PFC Phelps.  He attends a memorial event at a local VFW and meets one of the men who was with PFC Phelps when he died.  Lt. Colonel Strobl also meets a man who fought in Korea.  Still struggling with his feelings about not being in Iraq, this man helps Lt. Colonel Strobl see things in a different light.

                The next day Lt. Colonel Strobl meets with PFC Phelps’ family.  He gives them PFC Phelps’ personal effects and then leaves them to grieve before attending the funeral.  After the funeral Lt. Colonel Strobl boards a plane for home.  As he writes his report, Lt. Colonel Strobl reflects on all that has happened throughout his journey.  When he walks through the door of his house, Lt. Colonel Strobl is a changed man. 

                There are so many reasons I think everyone should watch this film, but one of the biggest is seeing the preparation and the care the military take with their fallen soldiers.  From putting ice with the body as it flies back to the United States, to the precisely sewn uniforms for burial, everything is done with great respect and care.  Nothing is overlooked, not even the careful cleansing of the personal effects.

                Once the coffin leaves the mortuary, there is even more protocol to follow.  With every transport Lt. Colonel Strobl verifies that he has the correct soldier.  As the soldier is loaded on and off planes, in a very specific direction, Lt. Colonel Strobl stands and salutes.  Upon arrival in Wyoming, he makes sure the flag is on the coffin before putting it in the hands of the funeral director.  The entire trip Lt. Colonel Strobl has carried the personal effects and they do not leave his presence until he presents them to the Phelps family.

                Everything is orchestrated in the process of handling and escorting a fallen soldier.  It shows the respect that is given to those who have fallen and to their families.  This is not something we usually see and I am glad the film walked the viewers through the process and showed us this.  So many people are involved in getting the soldiers home.  Every step is important and must be incredibly difficult for those who are performing them.  The one that caught me the most, and maybe it was because it was the first, was putting the ice with the bodies for transport.  It must be heart wrenching to do that for a fellow soldier.

                Something else I think people should pay attention to is the message from the man who fought in Korea.  He is not in the film long, but he is very important.  When Lt. Colonel Strobl reveals his feelings about not fighting in Iraq, the veteran takes him to task.  He explains that everyone has a role and is meant to do something.  For Lt. Colonel Strobl, that something was bringing PFC Phelps home.

                   Another important aspect of the film was showing how everyone cared.  I think this had a great effect on Lt. Colonel Strobl.  No matter where he went, people sent their thoughts and prayers with him to the family.  None of them knew the Phelps family until Lt. Colonel Strobl reached Wyoming, but they still cared.  It showed that no matter which side of the aisle people are on about the war, everyone is thinking about those who have fallen and their families.

                I have to mention again the scene in Minneapolis with the other escort.  It is with true sincerity that I apologize as I do not know his name.  The same is true for all the other people I mentioned but am unable to name specifically.  Each one plays an important role and while each is memorable, I feel the need to once again mention the escort in Minneapolis.  It was clear from watching Lt. Colonel Strobl that being an escort was a difficult enough task on its own, but when it’s your own brother…I can only imagine how hard and painful that must be.  I truly hope that it was a comfort to the family knowing that their fallen soldier was being looked over by his own brother all the way home.                    

                This film was not a political commentary about whether or not we should be at war. Instead it was about people and how the death of one affects so many. It showed the compassion and caring that is often lost and overlooked in the arguments and the media. The people, the individuals, who are doing the actual work in all positions and all locations get forgotten in the noise. They become a number, a statistic, instead of a human being, and that is the last thing that should happen.