ROCK SPRINGS - Sweetwater County resident Gerda Dickinson remembers Marine Pfc. Chance Phelps hanging around her ranch house every once in a while a few years back at her Vermillion Ranch south of Rock Springs.

The young serviceman, who was slain in Iraq in 2004, was good friends with the grandson of their closest neighbor and was "just an awesome young man," Dickinson said.

So when Phelps' mother, Gretchen Mack of Riverton, made her way up State Highway 430 toward a planned event in Rock Springs Wednesday morning as part of a four-month trek to honor her fallen son, Dickinson and her children - 9-year-old Kate, 7-year-old Ira and 15-month-old Ian - were out walking with her to support the effort.

"What she's doing is such a remarkable thing," Dickinson said during a reception for Mack at the Rock Springs Armory. "It's a great way to turn her grief into grace."

Rock Springs resident Diane Pineda - whose 34-year old son Cal Nield is serving with the hometown "Bridge Trolls," the 1041st Engineer Co. of the Wyoming Army National Guard, in Iraq - had a hard time getting off of work to attend the reception, but said she wouldn't have missed it for the world.

"It was really hard getting the time off, but I really wanted to be here, and it has been so worth it," she said, choking with emotion. "Today I pray we can bring all those young men and women home safely."

About 100 supporters welcomed Mack to Sweetwater County Wednesday as she marches toward a Memorial Day homecoming in Dubois as part of a 1,500-mile trek that aims to honor her slain son, Marine Pfc. Chance Phelps.

The Dubois native was killed in 2004 during combat operations in Iraq, one of 14 servicemen from Wyoming who have died in Iraq, said Leo Sanchez of the Marine Corps League.

With flags flying amid tears, hugs and prayers, speaker after speaker praised the service and the sacrifice of Phelps and his family.

"We will keep the memory of these soldiers alive … so they will always be remembered," Sanchez told the crowd. "We have come to honor your efforts and your son's sacrifice."

Mack posed for numerous pictures, signed autographs for the appreciative crowd and ate lunch from a heaping buffet provided by local restaurants. A local motel provided the walkers a free room for the night, but the journey resumes this morning, she said.

"The walk has been going just great, and the reception today has really been awesome," said Mack, who's been averaging about 25 miles per day on the journey. "I'm so honored."

Ultimate sacrifice

Mack said the trek aims to honor her fallen son and all the others who have given their lives in the global war on terrorism since 9/11.

She said since her son's death, walking has become her way of coping. It helped her emerge from her depression, and she said now the daily walking helps her to stay afloat emotionally.

Mack said she hopes to raise $1 million or more through the Chance Phelps Foundation to help wounded servicemen and their families.

She characterized her journey as a nonpolitical act that simply aims to raise awareness about the financial struggles of returning servicemen and women and their families.

Phelps was killed in action in the Al Anbar province in Iraq on April 9, 2004, just three months before his 20th birthday. He was part of a convoy that was ambushed during the early stages of Operation Iraqi Freedom.

According to Marine reports, Phelps was killed by enemy small arms fire while manning a .50-caliber machine gun in the turret of the lead vehicle. His job was to lay down cover for the convoy, which he did until he was fatally wounded.

Mack and Kelley Orndoff, Chance Phelps' sister, began their 1,547-mile trek across six Western states in Twenty-Nine Palms, Calif., on Feb. 12. The city lies east of Palm Springs.

Orndoff flew in from Germany, where her husband is stationed, to participate. Joining them on the trek are their two dogs.

The nonprofit Chance Phelps Foundation was started in 2004 by Mack and a group of friends and family members. People can follow the route of the walkers, read firsthand accounts from Mack and Orndoff, and make donations on the foundation's Web site, www.run4chance.com.

Foundation officials said the money supports the Fisher House and the Injured Marine Semper Fi Fund charities to help members of the military and their families.

Southwest Wyoming bureau reporter Jeff Gearino can be reached at 307-875-5359 or at gearino@tribcsp.com.