Taking Chance

We didn't even have HBO until last week, but I'm really glad we had it in time to watch this movie. About 30 seconds into it....I thought, "Oh no, this is gonna be bad". For me; emotionally. I'm not sure how long it is, but I cried. The.Whole.Movie.I.Cried. Because it was heartbreakingly sad, and yet beautiful and respectful too. It was perfect. Hollywood finally got one right - exactly right.

I know what it is like to live with the fear of losing your soldier. I know what it is like to say goodbye, knowing you might never see them alive again. I've done it three times - so far. I thank God that all three times he came back home to me alive. But if one day he shouldn't, I will know that so many people will be there to take care of him, and bring him back home to me.

If you have HBO, please watch this movie. It's not about politics. It's not about your position on the war. It's about our troops, and their families.

This is the description from the HBO site:
Working as a strategic analyst at Marine Corps Base Quantico in VA, Lt. Col. Strobl (Kevin Bacon) learns that Phelps had once lived in his hometown, and volunteers to escort the body to its final resting place in Wyoming. As Strobl journeys across America, he discovers the great diligence and dignity in how the military, and all those involved with preparing and transporting the body, handle their duties. Equally important, he encounters hundreds of people affected by Chance's death, a vast majority of whom never knew him. This collective grieving eventually causes Lt. Col. Strobl, a veteran of Desert Storm now assigned to office duty, to probe his own guilt about not re-deploying to Iraq for the current conflict. Arriving in Wyoming, Lt. Col. Strobl completes his catharsis when he encounters Chance's gracious family and friends, and discovers an extraordinary outpouring of community support.