Taking Chance

I have learned many lessons from watching the movie “Taking Chance”. One of which is respect. The definition of respect is “a feeling of admiring someone or something that is good, valuable, important / a feeling or understanding that someone or something is important, serious, and should be treated in an appropriate way / a particular way of thinking about or looking at something. (http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/respect) My parents taught me when I was and still am growing up that I need to respect not only the wants and needs of other peoples but to respect my elders and those who have done something for a positive cause. I believe that Private First Class Chance Phillips deserves most, if not every last ounce of my respect.

This movie really hit home to me, mainly because my eldest sister had enlisted into the National Guard after school. I understand that most nation guard people do not get shipped overseas into the war, but just knowing that she could have been him really gets to me. Also my first cousin (Wade) had enlisted into the army when he had also graduated from high school. He was overseas for about a year, year and a half and at any point in that year, year and a half, could he have been seriously injured or even killed. I do not want to say that I know what some of the families in the United States have been through losing a loved one, because I have not had that happen to me.

 The reason why Private First Class Chance Phelps deserves all of my respect is what he did overseas. The man was not only a guy who joked around and picked up the spirits of the men and women around him, but he was always willing to do everything and anything he could to help. That day when Chance Phelps was killed, he was told to stay back, but he went any way. The platoon he was in was drawing heavy fire and so Chance took it in his own hands to draw the fire away from his platoon. He shot in no general direction, just anywhere and everywhere. His captain had seen that his gun was still going off into the air and he asked Chance if he was shooting at the birds. Then the Captain saw what he had hoped did not happen. Chance had been shot in the head and his finger was still on the trigger.

A lesson that I learned from this is courage, bravery, and once again respect. I think that courage and bravery go together because it takes a lot of courage and bravery to do something like he did. And also respect again. Chance did everything he could to save his friends and country, and I believe that he succeeded. But no one should have to pay that ultimate sacrifice.

Lieutenant Colonel Michael Strobl is Chance’s escort for his journey back home. Mike Strobl went through many airports and at every airport not only Chance, but also Michael were treated with utmost respect. When people found out that Mike Strobl was being an escort for a fallen soldier, they all got really sad. But every person either put their hand over their heart or saluted to the fallen soldier. But the man at the metal detector in the terminal had no respect for a soldier in uniform, and he had treated him with little to no respect, and that should never happen.

Respect is a big part of our country. And that is the way it should always be. Without respect kids of my generation would just be a bunch of hooligans getting in trouble all the time.