Courtesy Photo Kevin Bacon plays Marine Lt. Col. Michael Strobl in ‘‘Taking Chance.”

But HBO’s ‘‘Taking Chance” sets all of the bigger arguments aside, focusing on the people involved in the handling of fallen warriors. The movie is based on the true story of Marine Pfc. Chance Phelps’ journey from Iraq to his final resting place in DuBois, Wyo., as recorded in retired Marine Lt. Col. Michael Strobl’s journal. Strobl escorted the remains.

Kevin Bacon plays Strobl, a conflicted officer who feels like he’s doing inadequate service. He served in Kuwait during Operation Desert Storm, but now he’s working a desk at Quantico and feels like he’s losing touch because he isn’t serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom.

To deal with his perceived disconnect, Strobl volunteers to escort Phelps’ remains to his hometown, which Strobl believes to be his own hometown in Colorado. He soon finds out it isn’t, but after seeing the amount of work and care put into readying the remains in Dover, he decides to continue his mission.

On his cross-country trip, he meets people who show their shared sense of loss and grief for Phelps and other fallen service members.

The driver who takes Strobl and the remains from Dover to the Philadelphia airport, a kid no older than 20, recounts the story of his two schoolmates who served in Iraq — one was badly injured, the other killed. He didn’t serve himself, but took the job in Dover because he wanted to try to help in some way.

During a layover in Minneapolis, Strobl meets a young Army sergeant, also escorting a Soldier’s remains home. The sergeant says his family is going to meet him in Rochester, Minn., where he’s delivering the deceased. The Soldier he’s escorting, he says, is his brother.

The pilot that flew Strobl and Phelps from Minneapolis, to Billings, Mont., took time before loading the plane and after landing to speak with Strobl about serving and to mention to the other passengers that he was honored to carry Phelps’ remains. After unloading the plane, he told Strobl he’s carried many fallen warriors and remembers the name of each one he’s flown.

The movie does a very good job of staying apolitical and focusing on Strobl’s growth through the trip. Strobl learns that holding a gun in the desert isn’t necessarily the most honorable service one can do. Caring for his fellow Marines, even if it’s by doing work from a cubicle, is still a warrior’s work.

‘‘Taking Chance” doesn’t take a stance for or against the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan; instead it reminds us that whether you agree or disagree with our current military situation, the people fighting overseas are our brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers and friends. And they deserve our support, however we can show it.

Check your local listings for future broadcasts on HBO.