Taking Chance (HBO) is the true story of the experiences of Marine Lt. Col. Mike Strobl, who escorted Chance Phelps, a 19-year-old Marine killed during a 2004 firefight, home to Wyoming. Strobl volunteered to escort Chance because he thought the young man was from Clifton, Colorado and Strobl was from that part of the state. Chance went to school his senior year at Palisade High School, not 20 minutes from where I am writing this. He also played football for the Bulldogs. Palisade has one of the top 3-A football programs in the state and I have regularly taken my son to their games since the late 90s. Though I obviously had no idea who Chance was, I certainly would have seen him play there in Grand Junction where Palisade played their home games. Anyway, when I heard about this movie at the Sundance Film Festival, I knew I had to see it. It is stories like this that reaffirm how truly great out country is, and how strong our people are. We are not cowards in any shape or form. We do not require government to save us, we can overcome and help one another.
If you get a chance, watch it tonight, here’s the trailer:
