Chance Russell Phelps (July 14, 1984 – April 9, 2004) was a
private first class – posthumously
promoted
Promotion may refer to:
Marketing
* Promotion (marketing), one of the four marketing mix elements, comprising any type of marketing communication used to inform or persuade target audiences of the relative merits of a product, service, brand or i ...
to
lance corporal
Lance corporal is a military rank, used by many armed forces worldwide, and also by some police forces and other uniformed organisations. It is below the rank of corporal, and is typically the lowest non-commissioned officer (NCO), usually eq ...
– in the
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through ...
. He served with 2nd
Platoon
A platoon is a military unit typically composed of two or more squads, sections, or patrol
A patrol is commonly a group of personnel, such as Law enforcement officer, law enforcement officers, military personnel, or Security guard, secur ...
,
Battery L,
3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment (3/11),
1st Marine Division,
I Marine Expeditionary Force
The I Marine Expeditionary Force ("I" pronounced "One") is a Marine Air Ground Task Force (MAGTF) of the United States Marine Corps primarily composed of the 1st Marine Division, 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing, and 1st Marine Logistics Group. It is ...
, 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'' is a 2009 American historical drama television film directed by Ross Katz, from a screenplay by Michael Strobl and Katz, based on the journal of the same name by Strobl, who also serves as military consultant. Kevin Bacon's po ...
.''
Biography
Phelps was born in
Riverton, Wyoming
Riverton is a city in Fremont County, Wyoming, United States. The city's population was 10,682 at the 2020 census, making it the largest city in the county.
History
The city, founded in 1906, is an incorporated entity of the state of Wyoming. ...
, 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
The September 11 attacks, commonly known as 9/11, were four coordinated suicide terrorist attacks carried out by al-Qaeda against the United States on Tuesday, September 11, 2001. That morning, nineteen terrorists hijacked four commercia ...
. After attending
recruit training
Military recruit training, commonly known as basic training or boot camp, refers to the initial instruction of new military personnel. It is a physically and psychologically intensive process, which resocializes its subjects for the unique deman ...
at
MCRD San Diego, he attended artillery school at
Fort Sill
Fort Sill is a United States Army post north of Lawton, Oklahoma, about 85 miles (136.8 km) southwest of Oklahoma City. It covers almost .
The fort was first built during the Indian Wars. It is designated as a National Historic Landma ...
,
Oklahoma. He was finally assigned to 3/11, with which he deployed in February 2004.
Death
Phelps was
killed in action at approximately 13:30 on April 9, 2004 (
Good Friday
Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Ho ...
) at the age of 19, outside
Ar Ramadi, Iraq. Phelps's unit was conducting
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 and can help maintain cohesion within a unit. It may also be use ...
escort (including the assistant commander of the
1st Marine Division,
Brigadier General
Brigadier general or Brigade general is a military rank used in many countries. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries. The rank is usually above a colonel, and below a major general or divisional general. When appointed t ...
John F. Kelly
John Francis Kelly (born May 11, 1950) is an American former political advisor and retired U.S. Marine Corps general who served as White House chief of staff for President Donald Trump from July 31, 2017, to January 2, 2019. He had previousl ...
) when they came under heavy
small arms
A firearm is any type of gun designed to be readily carried and used by an individual. The term is legally defined further in different countries (see Legal definitions).
The first firearms originated in 10th-century China, when bamboo tubes ...
fire, including
rocket-propelled grenade
A rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) is a shoulder-fired missile weapon that launches rockets equipped with an explosive warhead. Most RPGs can be carried by an individual soldier, and are frequently used as anti-tank weapons. These warheads are ...
s. Despite being wounded, he refused to be evacuated, and instead manned his
M240 machine gun
The M240 – officially the Machine Gun, 7.62 mm, M240 – is the U.S. military designation for the FN MAG, a family of belt-fed, gas-operated medium machine guns that chamber the 7.62×51mm NATO cartridge.
The M240 has been used by the ...
(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, Wyoming
Dubois is a town in Fremont County, Wyoming, Fremont County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 971 at the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census, but dropped to 911 in the 2020 census. The population nearly doubles in the summer with man ...
, on April 17, 2004, with full military honors. His remains were escorted home by
Lt. Col
Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...
.
Michael Strobl
Michael R. Strobl (born c. 1966) is a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer from Stafford, Virginia.
Michael joined the service when he was 17 years old, as told in the movie ''Taking Chance'' (2009).
After serving in Operation Desert Storm in 199 ...
, whose accounts of the escort were recorded in an article he wrote titled "''Taking Chance''". In attendance were his parents, stepparents, sister, the
Chief of Naval Intelligence
Chief may refer to:
Title or rank
Military and law enforcement
* Chief master sergeant, the ninth, and highest, enlisted rank in the U.S. Air Force and U.S. Space Force
* Chief of police, the head of a police department
* Chief of the boa ...
(for whom his sister was an aide), and every veterans organization within . Several days later, a memorial service was held in Camp Ramadi, Iraq, by his unit. Some time after that, Phelps 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.
Awards
Phelps' awards include:
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.''
PBS
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of ed ...
ran a segment on Phelps' journey home as part of their
Operation Homecoming documentary in the ''
America at a Crossroads'' series on April 16, 2007.
Taking Chance
An
HBO movie based on Strobl's essay of the same name.
References
External links
The Chance Phelps Foundation a memorial foundation started by the Phelps family
''Taking Chance''on
HBO website
Military Timicles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Phelps, Chance
1984 births
2004 deaths
United States Marines
American military personnel killed in the Iraq War
People from Riverton, Wyoming
People from Dubois, Wyoming
United States Marine Corps personnel of the Iraq War