Chance Phelps
Encyclopedia
Chance Russell Phelps was a Private First Class
(posthumously promoted to Lance Corporal) in the United States Marine Corps
who served with 2nd Platoon
, Battery
L, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment
(3/11), 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Phelps was killed in Iraq as the convoy he was escorting came under heavy fire. His story is the subject of an HBO movie, Taking Chance
.
, moved to Craig, Colorado
as a young boy, and then again to Clifton, Colorado
where he graduated from Palisade High School in 2003. He was motivated to join the Marines by the events of September 11, 2001. After attending recruit training
at MCRD San Diego
, he attended artillery school at Fort Sill
, Oklahoma
. He was finally assigned to 3/11, with which he deployed in February 2004.
at approximately 13:30 on April 9, 2004 (Good Friday
), outside Ar Ramadi, Iraq. Phelps's unit was conducting convoy
escort (including the assistant commander of the 1st Marine Division, Brigadier General
John F. Kelly) when they came under heavy small arms
fire, including rocket-propelled grenades. Despite being wounded, he refused to be evacuated, and instead manned his M240 machine gun (also reported to have been a M2 .50 caliber machine gun) to cover the evacuation of the rest of his convoy. Upon withdrawal, he sustained his fatal wound to the head.
on April 17, 2004. His remains were escorted home by LtCol Michael Strobl
, whose accounts of the escort were recorded in an article he wrote entitled "Taking Chance". In attendance were his parents, stepparents, sister, the Chief of Naval Intelligence
(for whom his sister was an aide), and every veterans organization within 90 miles (144.8 km). Several days later, a memorial service was held in Camp Ramadi, Iraq, by his unit. Some time after that, Chance was officially awarded a posthumous promotion to Lance Corporal. Approximately the same time, a baseball field constructed in Camp Ramadi was dedicated Phelps Field. In mid-2005, a mess hall at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms
was dedicated Phelps Hall, with his citation posted on a boulder in front. Phelps is also memorialized by a rock garden at the 3/11 office and at the Dubois VFW post, as well as a plaque that travels with Battery L wherever it deploys and a battery mascot named after the Marine.
ran a segment on Phelps's journey home as part of their Operation Homecoming
documentary in the America at Crossroads series on April 16, 2007.
screened at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
and competed for the Grand Jury prize in the category of drama. The script was also written by LtCol Strobl and filming completed in the fall of 2007, and premiered on February 21, 2009. Actor Kevin Bacon
plays the lead role of LtCol Strobl. Taking Chance is directed by Ross Katz
(producer of Lost in Translation
).
The story of Chance Phelps, as told by LtCol Strobl, is also featured in the book Faces of Freedom
, published in 2007.
Private First Class
Private First Class is a military rank held by junior enlisted persons.- Singapore :The rank of Private First Class in the Singapore Armed Forces lies between the ranks of Private and Lance-Corporal . It is usually held by conscript soldiers midway through their national service term...
(posthumously promoted to Lance Corporal) in the United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
who served with 2nd Platoon
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two to four sections or squads and containing 16 to 50 soldiers. Platoons are organized into a company, which typically consists of three, four or five platoons. A platoon is typically the smallest military unit led by a commissioned officer—the...
, Battery
Artillery battery
In military organizations, an artillery battery is a unit of guns, mortars, rockets or missiles so grouped in order to facilitate better battlefield communication and command and control, as well as to provide dispersion for its constituent gunnery crews and their systems...
L, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment
3rd Battalion 11th Marines
3rd Battalion 11th Marines is an artillery battalion comprising four firing batteries and a headquarters battery. The battalion is based at the Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms, California and its primary weapon system is the M777 lightweight howitzer with a maximum...
(3/11), 1st Marine Division, I Marine Expeditionary Force, during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Phelps was killed in Iraq as the convoy he was escorting came under heavy fire. His story is the subject of an HBO movie, Taking Chance
Taking Chance
Taking Chance is a 2009 historical drama film based upon the experiences of Marine Lt. Col. Michael Strobl , who escorts the body of a fallen Marine, PFC Chance Phelps , back to his hometown from the Iraq War....
.
Biography
Phelps was born in Riverton, WyomingRiverton, Wyoming
Riverton is a city in Fremont County, Wyoming, United States. It is both the largest city in the county and the largest within the historical boundaries of the Wind River Indian Reservation. The city's population was 9,310 at the 2000 census...
, moved to Craig, Colorado
Craig, Colorado
The City of Craig is a Home Rule Municipality that is the county seat and the most populous city of Moffat County, Colorado, United States. The population was 9,189 at the 2000 census...
as a young boy, and then again to Clifton, Colorado
Clifton, Colorado
Clifton is a census-designated place in Mesa County, Colorado, United States. It is part of the Grand Junction Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 19,889 at the 2010 census...
where he graduated from Palisade High School in 2003. He was motivated to join the Marines by the events of September 11, 2001. After attending recruit training
Recruit training
Recruit training, more commonly known as Basic Training and colloquially called Boot Camp, is the initial indoctrination and instruction given to new military personnel, enlisted and officer...
at MCRD San Diego
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego
Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego is a United States Marine Corps military installation in San Diego, California. It lies between San Diego Bay and Interstate 5, adjacent to San Diego International Airport and the former Naval Training Center San Diego...
, he attended artillery school at Fort Sill
Fort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post near Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles southwest of Oklahoma City.Today, Fort Sill remains the only active Army installation of all the forts on the South Plains built during the Indian Wars...
, Oklahoma
Oklahoma
Oklahoma is a state located in the South Central region of the United States of America. With an estimated 3,751,351 residents as of the 2010 census and a land area of 68,667 square miles , Oklahoma is the 28th most populous and 20th-largest state...
. He was finally assigned to 3/11, with which he deployed in February 2004.
Death
Phelps was killed in actionKilled in action
Killed in action is a casualty classification generally used by militaries to describe the deaths of their own forces at the hands of hostile forces. The United States Department of Defense, for example, says that those declared KIA need not have fired their weapons but have been killed due to...
at approximately 13:30 on April 9, 2004 (Good Friday
Good Friday
Good Friday , is a religious holiday observed primarily by Christians commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus Christ and his death at Calvary. The holiday is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum on the Friday preceding Easter Sunday, and may coincide with the Jewish observance of...
), outside Ar Ramadi, Iraq. Phelps's unit was conducting convoy
Convoy
A convoy is a group of vehicles, typically motor vehicles or ships, traveling together for mutual support and protection. Often, a convoy is organized with armed defensive support, though it may also be used in a non-military sense, for example when driving through remote areas.-Age of Sail:Naval...
escort (including the assistant commander of the 1st Marine Division, Brigadier General
Brigadier general (United States)
A brigadier general in the United States Army, Air Force, and Marine Corps, is a one-star general officer, with the pay grade of O-7. Brigadier general ranks above a colonel and below major general. Brigadier general is equivalent to the rank of rear admiral in the other uniformed...
John F. Kelly) when they came under heavy small arms
Small arms
Small arms is a term of art used by armed forces to denote infantry weapons an individual soldier may carry. The description is usually limited to revolvers, pistols, submachine guns, carbines, assault rifles, battle rifles, multiple barrel firearms, sniper rifles, squad automatic weapons, light...
fire, including rocket-propelled grenades. Despite being wounded, he refused to be evacuated, and instead manned his M240 machine gun (also reported to have been a M2 .50 caliber machine gun) to cover the evacuation of the rest of his convoy. Upon withdrawal, he sustained his fatal wound to the head.
Honors
Phelps was buried in Dubois, WyomingDubois, Wyoming
Dubois is a town in Fremont County, Wyoming. The population was 962 at the 2000 census, although it nearly doubles in the summer with many part-time residents.-Geography:...
on April 17, 2004. His remains were escorted home by LtCol Michael Strobl
Michael Strobl
Michael R. Strobl is a retired United States Marine Corps officer.After serving in Operation Desert Storm in 1991, he took a desk job at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia...
, whose accounts of the escort were recorded in an article he wrote entitled "Taking Chance". In attendance were his parents, stepparents, sister, the Chief of Naval Intelligence
Defense Intelligence Agency
The Defense Intelligence Agency is a member of the Intelligence Community of the United States, and is the central producer and manager of military intelligence for the United States Department of Defense, employing over 16,500 U.S. military and civilian employees worldwide...
(for whom his sister was an aide), and every veterans organization within 90 miles (144.8 km). Several days later, a memorial service was held in Camp Ramadi, Iraq, by his unit. Some time after that, Chance was officially awarded a posthumous promotion to Lance Corporal. Approximately the same time, a baseball field constructed in Camp Ramadi was dedicated Phelps Field. In mid-2005, a mess hall at Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms
Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center Twentynine Palms
The Marine Corps Air Ground Combat Center , also known as 29 Palms, is a United States Marine Corps base. It was a census-designated place officially known as Twentynine Palms Base located adjacent to the city of Twentynine Palms in southern San Bernardino County, California. As of the 2000...
was dedicated Phelps Hall, with his citation posted on a boulder in front. Phelps is also memorialized by a rock garden at the 3/11 office and at the Dubois VFW post, as well as a plaque that travels with Battery L wherever it deploys and a battery mascot named after the Marine.
Awards
Phelps's awards include:| Bronze Star Bronze Star Medal The Bronze Star Medal is a United States Armed Forces individual military decoration that may be awarded for bravery, acts of merit, or meritorious service. As a medal it is awarded for merit, and with the "V" for valor device it is awarded for heroism. It is the fourth-highest combat award of the... w/ Valor device Valor device The Valor device is an award of the United States military which is a bronze attachment to certain medals to indicate that it was received for valor... |
Purple Heart Purple Heart The Purple Heart is a United States military decoration awarded in the name of the President to those who have been wounded or killed while serving on or after April 5, 1917 with the U.S. military. The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor is located in New Windsor, New York... |
||||
| Combat Action Ribbon Combat Action Ribbon The Combat Action Ribbon is a personal military decoration of the United States Navy, United States Marine Corps, and United States Coast Guard which is awarded to those who, in any grade including and below that of a Captain in the Navy and Coast Guard , have actively participated in ground or... |
Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal Good Conduct Medal The Good Conduct Medal is one of the oldest military awards of the United States military. The Navy Good Conduct Medal was first issued in 1869, followed by a Marine version in 1896. The Coast Guard Good Conduct Medal was issued in 1923 and the Army Good Conduct Medal in 1941. The Air Force was... |
National Defense Service Medal National Defense Service Medal The National Defense Service Medal is a military service medal of the United States military originally commissioned by President Dwight D. Eisenhower... |
|||
| Iraq Campaign Medal Iraq Campaign Medal The Iraq Campaign Medal is a military award of the United States armed forces which was created by Executive Order 13363 of President George W. Bush on November 29, 2004. The Iraq Campaign Medal was designed by the U.S. Army Institute of Heraldry.... |
Global War on Terrorism Service Medal Global War on Terrorism Service Medal The Global War on Terrorism Service Medal is a military award of the United States military which was created by Executive Order 13289 of President George W. Bush on March 12, 2003... |
Sea Service Deployment Ribbon | |||
Media attention
Phelps was the subject of a video segment originally broadcast on the News Hour with Jim Lehrer on April 20, 2004: entitled A Fallen Son. PBSPublic Broadcasting Service
The Public Broadcasting Service is an American non-profit public broadcasting television network with 354 member TV stations in the United States which hold collective ownership. Its headquarters is in Arlington, Virginia....
ran a segment on Phelps's journey home as part of their Operation Homecoming
Operation Homecoming
Operation Homecoming was a series of diplomatic negotiations that in January 1973 made possible the return of 591 American prisoners of war held by North Vietnam. On Feb. 12, 1973, three C-141 transports flew to Hanoi, North Vietnam, and one C-9A aircraft was sent to Saigon, South Vietnam to pick...
documentary in the America at Crossroads series on April 16, 2007.
Taking Chance
An HBO movie based on LtCol Strobl's essay Taking ChanceTaking Chance
Taking Chance is a 2009 historical drama film based upon the experiences of Marine Lt. Col. Michael Strobl , who escorts the body of a fallen Marine, PFC Chance Phelps , back to his hometown from the Iraq War....
screened at the 2009 Sundance Film Festival
2009 Sundance Film Festival
The 2009 Sundance Film Festival ran from January 15, 2009 until January 25 in Park City, Utah. It was the 25th iteration of the Sundance Film Festival.-Award winners:*Grand Jury Prize: Documentary - We Live in Public...
and competed for the Grand Jury prize in the category of drama. The script was also written by LtCol Strobl and filming completed in the fall of 2007, and premiered on February 21, 2009. Actor Kevin Bacon
Kevin Bacon
Kevin Norwood Bacon is an American film and theater actor whose notable roles include Animal House, Diner, Footloose, Flatliners, Wild Things, A Few Good Men, JFK, Apollo 13, Mystic River, The Woodsman, Trapped, Friday the 13th, Hollow Man, Tremors, Death Sentence, Frost/Nixon, Crazy, Stupid, Love....
plays the lead role of LtCol Strobl. Taking Chance is directed by Ross Katz
Ross Katz
Ross Katz is a Jewish American film producer, screenwriter and film director.Prior to becoming a producer, Katz was a commercial rock DJ on 94 WYSP FM in Philadelphia. He got his start in movies working as a grip on Quentin Tarantino's Reservoir Dogs, then interned at Good Machine eventually...
(producer of Lost in Translation
Lost in Translation (film)
Lost in Translation is a 2003 American film written and directed by Sofia Coppola; her second feature film after The Virgin Suicides and it stars Bill Murray and Scarlett Johansson...
).
The story of Chance Phelps, as told by LtCol Strobl, is also featured in the book Faces of Freedom
Faces of Freedom
The "Faces of Freedom" photo exhibition is a collection of photographs captured by photo-journalist, filmmaker and human rights educator U. Roberto Romano, during his travels to India, Nepal and Pakistan...
, published in 2007.
External links
- The Chance Phelps Foundation, a memorial foundation started by the Phelps family
- Taking Chance on HBO website
- Military Times articles