As American service members continue fighting, many civilians remain unfamiliar with the established military rituals for honoring those who have died in war.

Staff at the John F. Slater Funeral Home hope to change that by sponsoring an event in observance of Veterans Day at which the HBO movie, "Taking Chance," will be shown.

Based on a true story, the movie depicts the final journey home for Marine Lance Cpl. Chance Phelps, following his death while serving in Iraq.

Kevin Bacon stars in the film, which shows the respectful procedures followed by the military as fallen soldiers are transported home.

"It's a poignant story about the value that our society puts on the service and sacrifice of our veterans," said Chris Crompton, community service coordinator for the Slater Funeral Home.

The film will be shown at 2 p.m. Tuesday at Baldwin Community United Methodist Church, 5001 Baptist Road, Whitehall. Ms. Crompton, of Whitehall, expects about 100 people to attend.

"We're doing it in observance of Veterans Day. We thought this would be a different way to pay tribute to our troops," she said. "I get goose bumps just talking about the movie."

The event was planned to honor veterans of all ages and branches of military service. Ms. Crompton said many people think of veterans only as older Americans.

"But this movie focuses on a young veteran. There's an important gap we hope to bridge," she said.

Light refreshments will be served in the church's Asbury Hall, where the movie will be shown on two large screens. The event is free, but donations will be collected on behalf of Brentwood Cares and Military Connections, two local organizations that collect and ship items to American troops.

Brentwood Mayor Ken Lockhart and his wife, Sue, plan to attend. The couple founded Brentwood Cares in October 2004 to serve local troops from the town.

Made up of six volunteers, the group meets monthly to pack items that have placed in drop-off bins at nine local businesses. The items collected include, drink mix, socks, lip balm, baby wipes and other items not typically provided by the military.

Brentwood Cares currently ships to 13 service members. But the group always accepts new names and addresses from residents, Mrs. Lockhart said. "More than 70 soldiers have benefited over the years," she said.

At the "Taking Chance" showing, Mrs. Lockhart plans to read one of many thank-you letters received from local soldiers.

The group plans to make its next shipment Nov. 14. Along with the usual items, each soldier will receive blank Christmas cards, a table-top Christmas tree with ornaments and a wrapped gift.

Military Connections also will benefit from the "Taking Chance" showing.

Summer Tissue, 26, of Bethel Park, founded the organization in 2003, shortly after her brother enlisted in the Marines.

Ms. Tissue was upset to discover soldiers were not provided with many necessities, and she decided to do something to help.

Military Connections now has 45 core volunteers who coordinate monthly shipments to 800 soldiers. At the holidays, the number of volunteers grows to more than 250.

"We plan to ship 12,000 Christmas stockings this year," Ms. Tissue said.

Military Connections maintains a database of soldiers and encourages family members to sign up their loved ones for the free service.

The only restriction is soldiers must be serving outside the United States.

For more, call Ms. Crompton at 412-881-4100. For more on Brentwood Cares, call Ms. Lockhart at 412-884-1500, ext.130.

For more on Military Connections, call Summer Tissue at 412-496-8941 or e-mail militaryconnections@hotmail.com

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