All language subtitles for chance phelps 錢斯·菲爾普斯.eng

134 US military deaths since the

beginning of the war in Iraq and of the

tens of thousands of Marines who ship

out for Iraq from the 29 Palms Marine

base 75 Marines have made the ultimate

sacrifice one of those Fallen Marines a

20-year-old Lance corporal is remembered

as a hero chance Phelps took enemy fire

so others in his unit could get to

safety but to know the sacrifice of this

Marine you need to know more than just

his name this is the story of his

journey home KR 6 reporter Elizabeth

Cook joins us right now with this story

tonight Elizabeth Tom and Karen a fellow

Marine was given the mission of taking

Champs Phelps home to his family what he

learned about Phelps and the people he

met during the journey to his Marine's

final resting place is truly

inspirational tonight in his own words

Lieutenant Colonel Mike stroble shares

his story of taking

chance chance Phelps was wearing his St

Christopher metal when he was killed on

Good Friday

8 days later I handed The Medallion to

his mother I didn't know chance before

he died today I miss him Lieutenant

Colonel Mike Strobel has been a marine

for 23 years he is stationed in Quantico

Virginia he has had his fair share of

difficult and dangerous missions but

nothing could have prepared him for the

mission he volunteered for two years ago

they asked for uh volunteers to be

casualty escorts I think like all the

escorts did that it was such an

important important thing that we need

to do for the families I didn't really

stop to think about what it would be

like or what to expect his trip would

last for 8 Days his mission to bring the

body of Lance corpal chance Phelps from

do Air Force Base to his home in duboyce

Wyoming a rocky fighter shot and killed

chance Phelps outside of Baghdad fellow

Marines say the 19-year-old put himself

In Harm's Way saving the lives of dozens

of Marines except to tell the first

class Mike stroble wrote taking chance a

story about his journey with Lance

corporal Phelps he started writing for

his supervisor as a technical critique

of his trip as the journey unfolded I I

started to get a sense that this was

something more than more than just a

trip to Wyoming Mike's article became an

inspiration to the men and women in

their Armed Forces even people without

any connection to the military were

moved by Mike strobel's Mission

construction workers who happen to be

working on the grounds at Dober Air

Force Base who

would take their hard hats off and and

stand still when each hearse would

depart the hearse driver who you know

talked to me as if I had personally lost

a relative he remembers a special gift

from a stranger she reached down and and

it didn't didn't say anything at first

she reached down and grabbed my

hands and she put something in it in my

hand and she said I want you to have

this and she left before I could say

anything and I opened my hand and it was

a crucifix um with a a relief of Jesus

on it and it was very worn and you know

smooth around the edges and I I assumed

that it had probably been hers or in her

families for a long time and I thought

you know that was pretty remarkable that

she gave it to me and and I I I think

really she was giving it to the family

he would learn more and more about

chance Phelps through his belongings he

would give to the family in Wyoming a

wooden cross a St Christopher's

medallion and a huge digital watch he

was an artillery man uh which is what I

am and U it's it's not uncommon uh

because of you know often the timing of

of the fires and is critical that

artillery men have just large digital

watches that do all kinds of things and

and when I got that I thought yeah I

kind of know I know this I know this guy

a little bit Mike stroble saw chance for

the first time when he arrived at the

funeral home near deoy Wyoming he wanted

to make sure Chance's uniform was

perfect before he finished his mission I

noticed that he wore six ribbons over

his Marksmanship badge the senior one

was his purple heart I have been in the

core for over 17 years including a

combat tour and was wearing eight

ribbons this private first class with

less than a year in the core had already

earned six Mike stroble spent the last

day of his trip at Chance's funeral the

ceremonies were held in the high school

gym

Marines from across the country and even

high ranking generals from Washington

came to honor chance about 900 people

live in Duo over 2,000 were in the

gymnasium that day he had the chance to

meet Chance's family before the services

began didn't know how to talk to

somebody who had just lost a 19-year-old

son they immedi me for my service and

for bringing him home and it was almost

like they were comforting me he handed

the flight attendant's crucifix to

Chance's mother she wore it on her lapel

through the funeral service and later

placed it on Chance's casket before he

was lowered into the ground after the

services chance was buried on a hill

overlooking his hometown Mike stroble

watched his mission end as chance was

lowered to his final resting

place as I watched them carry him the

final 15 yards I was choking up I felt

that as long as he was still moving he

was somehow still

alive after word of Mike strobel's story

spread chance Phelps became a symbol of

bravery and sacrifice for the Marine

Corps in 29 Palms Memorial plaques are

placed around the Third Battalion

section of the base last week two years

after his death a messhall at 29 Palms

was renamed in Chance's honor Mike

strobel's article has kept the memory of

chance Phelps alive but for his family

taking chance was difficult to read

think I read it

once but it's a piece of

Americana was written from his heart and

it's speaks well of our country and our

community and and chance himself he's

always be like this standup comic for

everybody kind of made everybody relax a

little bit the dimples say it too look

at the

dimpl all pres of the Marines at 29

Palms get 96 hours of leave time every

Memorial Day weekend many choose to go

to the beach Las Vegas or home to their

families but on Memorial Day 2005 a

group of Marines chose a different

destination and they drove um over a

thousand miles to dub Boyce Wyoming to

uh to visit Chance's

grave these guys

um they could have gone anywhere

um could have uh gone to their own

families but

but uh they got in a van and they drove

to

see um chance and his family and then

U then drove back and went to work

um and I think that's that's a

fraternity you know and we're just

honored that you know so many other

people have lost their children or their

spouses or their fathers or their uncles

or whoever and uh you know they're not

all being honored the way he is because

of Colonel strobel's

story if you would like to read

Lieutenant Colonel Mike strobel's story

in its entirety go to our website at K

6.com Karen and Tom back to you okay an

amazing story and it's like every Fallen

serviceman or woman has their own story

just one example of it that's right

they're not a name or a number they're a

lot more yeah very touching coming up