Dear Families:
This Friday on March 17th during our 8th grade house block period, we are going to viewing an HBO movie called “Taking Chance”. Below is a summary taken directly from the HBO website of the film for you to read. There is also a link to the trailer at the bottom of the letter. In TAG before and after the movie we will also be sharing with our students information about Staff Sergeant Matthew Pucino, a Massachusetts soldier killed in Afghanistan in 2009 whom we will be paying our respects to on the DC trip at Arlington National Cemetery. We have included a link to a news report about Matt and the presentation we will be sharing with students prior to the DC Trip as well below.
“In April 2004, Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobl, USMC, came across the name of 19-year-old Lance Corporal Chance Phelps, a young Marine who had been killed by hostile fire in Al Anbar Province, Iraq. Strobl, a Desert Storm veteran with 17 years of military service, requested that he be assigned for military escort duty to accompany Chance's remains to his family in Dubois, Wyoming.
Witnessing the spontaneous outpouring of support and respect for the fallen Marine - from the groundskeepers he passed along the road to the cargo handlers at the airport - Strobl was moved to capture the experience in his personal journal. His first-person account, which began as an official trip report, gives an insight into the military's policy of providing a uniformed escort for all casualties. The story became an Internet phenomenon when it was widely circulated throughout the military community and eventually reached the mainstream media.
Taking Chance chronicles one of the silent, virtually unseen journeys that takes place every day across the country, bearing witness to the fallen and all those who, literally and figuratively, carry them home. A uniquely non-political film about the war in Iraq, the film pays tribute to all of the men and women who have given their lives in military service as well as their families.1”
Seeing that this film is emotional and possibly difficult for your child, we wanted to also provide another option for students. Students who choose to opt out of the film will be meeting with other 8th grade staff members to learn about some of our fallen heroes and also to learn about Arlington National Cemetery.
As usual, if you have any questions please feel free to contact us.
Click on the image to view our presentation regarding the DC trip and our connection to fallen soldiers.
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