Birth name Nathan Ross Chapman Role Soldier | Name Nathan Chapman Rank Sergeant First Class Unit 1st Special Forces Group | |
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Born 23 April 1970
Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland, U.S. ( 1970-04-23 ) Buried at Tahoma National Cemetery, Kent, Washington Allegiance United States of America Awards Bronze Star
Purple Heart Died January 4, 2002, Gardez, Afghanistan Place of burial Tahoma National Cemetery, Washington, United States, Kent, Washington, United States | ||
Service/branch United States Army | ||
Nathan Ross Chapman (23 April 1970 – 4 January 2002) was a United States Army Sergeant First Class with the 1st Special Forces Group. He was the first American soldier to be killed in combat in the war in Afghanistan.
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Early life and education
The son of Wilbur and Lynn Chapman, Chapman was born at Andrews Air Force Base, where his father was stationed at the time. Chapman grew up in a variety of towns across the United States, but listed his hometown as San Antonio, Texas when he joined the military at the age of 18. He had never lived in San Antonio, but that is where his grandparents lived.
Career
Chapman's military career spanned 13 years and included combat service in Haiti, Panama and the Persian Gulf War. In 1989, he parachuted into Panama during the invasion of that country. He also served in Operation Desert Storm and later attended the U.S. Army Special Forces School at Fort Bragg, North Carolina. Assigned to the 1st Special Forces Group following the 11 September attacks, Chapman was directing troop movements from the back of a flatbed truck when he was shot. He did not die instantly from the attack, which also saw a CIA Paramilitary Operations Officer from Special Activities Division wounded. Although originally dubbed an "ambush", the military backed away from using the term.
He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star. Forward Operating Base Chapman was named after SFC Chapman.
Personal
Chapman, his wife Renae and two children lived in Puyallup, Washington. He was buried at the Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent, Washington.