Michael R. Strobl, Ph.D. | |
|---|---|
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| Born | c. 1966 (age 57–58) |
| Alma mater | George Mason University (PhD) [1] |
| Military career | |
| Allegiance |  United States |
| Service/ |  United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1983–2007 |
| Rank | Lieutenant Colonel |
| Battles/wars | Operation Desert Storm |
Michael R. Strobl (born c. 1966) is a retired U.S. Marine Corps officer from Stafford, Virginia, and is currently Assistant Deputy Commandant for Manpower and Reserve Affairs Headquarters, United States Marine Corps. [1] [2]
Strobl joined the service when he was 17 years old, as told in the movie Taking Chance (2009).
He holds a Bachelor’s of Business Administration (BBA) degree from Colorado Mesa University, a Master’s of Business Administration (MBA) degree from Averett University, a Master’s of Science (MS) degree in Manpower Systems Analysis, with distinction, from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a Ph.D. in economics from George Mason University. [2]
After serving in the Gulf War in 1991, [3] Strobl was assigned a desk-job at Marine Corps Base Quantico in Quantico, Virginia during the Iraq War.
After retiring in 2007, Strobl accepted a position as an Operations Research Analyst in the Office of the Secretary of Defense (Cost Assessment and Program Evaluation) at the Pentagon. While serving at CAPE, he was the lead analyst on military manpower and compensation issues as well as the Defense Health Program. He was appointed to the Senior Executive Service in September 2016 and served as the Deputy Director, Manpower Plans and Policy Division until assuming his current position in August 2021. [2]
Strobl escorted home PFC Chance Phelps, a Marine killed in the Iraq War on April 9, 2004 (Good Friday), outside Ar Ramadi, Iraq. [4] [5]
Strobl was working at a desk-job, but volunteered to escort PFC Phelps home. [6] He initially did this because the press release concerning the death of PFC Phelps had listed Clifton, Colorado as his hometown, a town near Strobl's hometown of Grand Junction. The final destination and resting place, however, of PFC Phelps would be Dubois, Wyoming, Phelps having only lived in Clifton for his senior year of high school.
During the trip, Strobl kept a diary of the experience and his feelings. After he concluded the mission, he wrote an essay entitled "A Marine's Journey Home" from the notes in the diary and shared it with Phelps's father John. The essay appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle on May 2, 2004 (with the approval of John Phelps), and then a longer version (of 5,375 words) appeared in the July issue of Marine Corps Gazette as "Taking Chance".
Strobl's 12-page narrative essay followed his journey with the remains of PFC Phelps from the military mortuary at Dover Air Force Base to Philadelphia, Minneapolis, Billings, Riverton, and Dubois.
Strobl's essay became the subject of an HBO film, Taking Chance , in 2009. [7] [8] He helped write the screenplay, and he was portrayed in the film by Kevin Bacon. [9] Subsequently, he co-won the Writers Guild of America Award in Long Form Adaptation in Television at the Writers Guild of America Awards 2009 and was co-nominated for the Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Writing for a Miniseries, Movie, or a Dramatic Special, both with Ross Katz. [10]
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Strobl received the Vietnam Veterans of America President's Award for Excellence in the Arts at the organization's national convention in Louisville, Kentucky in August 2009.
Craig is a home rule municipality that is the county seat and the most populous municipality of Moffat County, Colorado, United States. The city population was 9,060 at the 2020 United States Census. Craig is the principal city of the Craig, CO Micropolitan Statistical Area.
Dubois is a town in Fremont County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 971 at the 2010 census, but dropped to 911 in the 2020 census. The population nearly doubles in the summer with many part-time residents.
Michael Strank was a United States Marine Corps sergeant who was killed in action during the Battle of Iwo Jima in World War II. He was one of the Marines who raised the second U.S. flag on Mount Suribachi on February 23, 1945, as shown in the iconic photograph Raising the Flag on Iwo Jima by photographer Joe Rosenthal. Of the six Marines depicted in the photo, Strank was the only one to be correctly identified from the beginning; the other five were either assigned the wrong locations, or, were given the names of Marines who were not in the photo.
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Chance Russell Phelps was a private first class – posthumously promoted to lance corporal in the United States Marine Corps. He served with 2nd Platoon, Battery L, 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment (3/11), 1st Marine Division, and I Marine Expeditionary Force, during Operation Iraqi Freedom.
Samuel Jaskilka was a U.S. Marine four-star general whose last assignment was Assistant Commandant of the United States Marine Corps (1975–1978). General Jaskilka was a highly decorated veteran of the Korean War, having led the landing at Inchon as a company commander with the 2nd Battalion, 5th Marines. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1978 after 36 years of service.
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The Marine Corps Association is the professional organization for members of the United States Marine Corps and friends of the Corps. It is known for its publications Leatherneck Magazine and Marine Corps Gazette. As of 2009, MCA became part of MCA&F, the Marine Corps Association & Foundation.
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Robert B. Johnston was a United States Marine Corps lieutenant general whose last duty assignment was as Commander, Marine Forces Atlantic, Marine Forces Europe and II Marine Expeditionary Force. During the Gulf War, he served as the CENTCOM Chief-of-Staff. He retired from the Marine Corps in 1995 after over 34 years of service.
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 portrayal of Strobl in the film won him a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor in a Miniseries or a Motion Picture Made for Television and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Miniseries or Television Movie, among other accolades.
Motion Picture Corporation of America (MPCA) is an American film production company specializing in the production, acquisition and distribution of low-budget films.
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