About 150 mortuary affairs specialists from the Army Casualty and Mortuary Affairs Operation Center attended the premier of "Taking Chance," a Home Box Office movie starring Kevin Bacon.
The movie, which made its television debut Saturday evening, chronicles one of the silent, virtually unseen journeys that take place when military escorts bring the fallen from the war zone to home.
"This is a unique opportunity for the American public to see the dignity, honor and respect that we treat our fallen with... to see that we do that whether we are in the public eye or not," said Col. Carl Johnson, director of CMAOC. "This was a great portrayal. It was really pretty accurate portrayal of what goes on behind the scenes."
Based on the real-life experiences of retired Marine Lt. Col. Michael Strobl, the movie pays tribute to the men and women who make the ultimate sacrifice, as well as to the uniformed servicemembers who literally and figuratively carry the fallen home.
Although the film is about a Marines' journey home, officials said it is a testimony to the daily work of the CMAOC and everyone who has helped a fallen Soldier find his or her way home.
"I actually worked overseas. I did the dignified transfers in Germany and at Dover and it captured exactly what we did over there and it was a very moving film," said
Sgt.Crystal Seymore. "It's really an honor to actually do this; and, now everyone can see what we do on a daily basis."
(Information compiled from an Army News Service release.)
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