The cost of the war on terror is very real. Read "Taking Chance Home," an account by Lt. Col. M.R. Strobl, USMC, who accompanied the body of fallen hero Pfc. Chance Phelps home to Dubois, Wyoming earlier this month. More than 1,000 people, greater than the population of the little town, turned out in tribute, with pride, tears, patriotism, and a healing spirit.
Chance Phelps was wearing his Saint Christopher medal when he was killed on Good Friday. Eight days later, I handed the medallion to his mother. I didn’t know Chance before he died. Today, I miss him.
You might need a tissue handy. I know I did. Read the whole thing, including the comments. Right now.
You can also watch, or read a transcript of, a related story from The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, although it only has a fraction of the power in Lt. Col. Strobl's moving narrative.
On a small personal note, we stopped in picturesque Dubois last summer, got great burgers, and used their lovely, friendly public library to get a bit of Internet access. We had spent the Fourth of July on the other side of the state in Newscastle and saw the patriotic spirit of Wyoming first-hand. God bless them all.
Posted by Alan at April 28, 2004 09:10 PM