HBO making film on soldier killed in Iraq
03 May 2006   (Andrew Wallenstein)  orig

HBO has greenlighted an original film on the transport of the body of an American soldier killed in action in Iraq. "Taking Chance" will begin production in the summer in anticipation of airing on the channel next year. The script was adapted by U.S. Marine Michael Strobl from an article he wrote about his experience as an escort officer to travel cross-country with the body of 19-year-old Chance Phelps in 2004. The film should debut in 2007. Phelps' family said at first they were hesitant about the film but are hopeful it will be a positive film that rings true for many."This movie is actually going to be a way to honor everyone" who has died in service, said Phelps' mother, Gretchen Mack.   Look for Taking Chance to air on HBO sometime next year.

29 Palms Mess Hall Dedicated to LCPL Chance Phelps
Fallen Marine Honored at 29 Palms
05 May 2006
A decorated Marine killed in the line of duty who was based out of 29-Palms was remembered today in a very special way. The mess hall at the 29-Palms Marine Base was dedicated in his memory. Lance Corporal Chance Phelps was killed two years ago in combat with Iraqi insurgents. Today 29-Palms dedicated a mess hall in his name to honor his bravery. He was the only Marine killed in the open fire situation. The Marine Corps credits him for saving the lives of dozens of fellow Marines. Over five hundred members in the third battalion attended the dedication ceremony. Chance was serving in the third battalion eleventh regiment when he was killed.
Brigadier General Kelly spoke of Lance Corporal Phelps's service as did Lieutenant Colonel Mike Strobl, the Marine responsible for bringing Phelps' remains to his hometown for burial. He wrote about his journey from Dover Air Force Base to Dubois, Wyoming in the article "Taking Chance." Chance Phelps' sister Kelly was overcome with emotion as she saw her brother's name revealed on the building.

Philadelphia Daily News
22 December 2005 (Ronnie Polaneczky)

Here's a Yule story that ought to be a movie

AND NOW, in time for the holidays, I bring you the best Christmas story you never heard.

It started last Christmas, when Bennett and Vivian Levin were overwhelmed by sadness while listening to radio reports of injured American troops.

"We have to let them know we care," Vivian told Bennett.

So they organized a trip to bring soldiers from Walter Reed Army Medical Center and Bethesda Naval Hospital to the annual Army-Navy football game in Philly, on Dec. 3.

The cool part is, they created their own train line to do it. read more...

Letter from a US Navy Chaplain in Bahrain on remembering Pearl Harbor
December 7, 2005 (Chaplain Richard House, LT, USN)

“Yesterday, December 7, 1941—a date which will live in infamy—the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.”

Thus begins the speech by President Franklin Roosevelt to the Congress the day following the attack. I invite you today to take a moment to recall the sacrifice of our comrades early one Sunday morning 64 years ago.

Of my generation each can recall where they were when President John F. Kennedy or the Reverend Martin Luther King were assassinated. Younger generations of those in uniform know their location when the two planes struck the Twin Towers, another the Pentagon, and yet a fourth that landed in a field in Pennsylvania. read more...

What Veterans Day means to SGT Joseph L. Maupai , USMC,  stationed in Al Asad, Iraq.
11 November 2005 (SGT Joseph L. Maupai)

Veterans Day this year, like so may others, still remains a special day, even in the dust and sand of war torn Iraq. Out here there are no bands playing the National Anthem for us to hear, no American or POW/MIA flags hanging proudly in front of houses for us to admire with pride. For a majority of the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines, and Coast Guard personal deployed to places like Iraq or Afghanistan, we see the insides of vehicles while on another long convoy, the inside of a fighter aircraft while on another mission, or the streets of a city while on another patrol. Instead of applause or fanfare, we hear the sounds of gunfire, the explosions of motor rounds, rockets or IEDs that are loud enough to shake the hearts of our countries bravest. read more...

Marathoners do so for a higher purpose
11 November 2004 (Danie Harrelson)

It's sometimes called the “Marathon of the Monuments.” A fitting name for a course that winds through some of the most celebrated tributes to men and women who, in death, now seem larger than life.

The 2004 Marine Corps Marathon drew more than 20,000 runners to Washington, D.C. Many of them ran on behalf of someone or something. They ran in memory of a fallen brother or sister, son or daughter, father or mother, friend or neighbor.

I ran in memory of a stranger. read more...

A Thought from Iraq
08 October 2004 (Maj. William Truax, USMC)

In 2004 the word "terrorism" conjures up images in our minds that would have been unthinkable before 9/11/01. In recent months, images of commercial airliners crashing into buildings and the aftermath of those attacks have been replaced by fuzzy internet video of hostages in Iraq, in their last moments of life before they were brutally murdered. The images are seared into our minds and haunt us in our moments of reflection, causing fear, anxiety and general unease - which is exactly what the perpetrators of these types of crimes want. read more...

Iraqi women try to help Americans see the country through their eyes
24 September 2004 (Diana Griego Erwin)

Before Iraq's liberation, Ahood al-Fadhal spent her days preoccupied with how she and her husband would feed their three children.

The rice and flour they could get was buggy. Three brothers were killed by the regime of Saddam Hussein, and her husband was imprisoned for three years. In her lifetime, she never expected to see a free Iraq.

Since Saddam's overthrow, al-Fadhal finds life moving in directions previously unimaginable. She teaches literacy classes and writes a biweekly newsletter for women; she was elected to a district council seat in Basra as an advocate for women's rights. read more...