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CNN Live Saturday
Sergeant Chapman Remembered by People Who Knew Him Best
Aired January 05, 2002 - 17:02 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CATHERINE CALLAWAY, CNN ANCHOR: We are learning much more today about the life and military service of Sergeant 1st Class Nathan Chapman, the first American soldier to die in Afghanistan from hostile fire. This weekend, Sergeant Chapman is being remembered by the people who knew him, and CNN's Rusty Dornin joins us now from Fort Lewis, Washington, where Sergeant Chapman was based. Hello, Rusty.
RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Catherine, Fort Lewis is where Sergeant 1st Class Nate Chapman was stationed and lived with his family, his wife Renee and his 2-year-old daughter Amanda and his 1- year-old son Brandon.
But Chapman grew up in San Antonio, Texas. His parents live in Georgetown, and they spoke to reporters today of their loss, and also talked about the support they had for their son's patriotic commitment.
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LYNN CHAPMAN, NATHAN CHAPMAN'S MOTHER: We are very sorry to lose Nathan. But we are also very proud of him. He was a wonderful man, wonderful child. And we are proud that he was doing a good thing for our country, and he was a wonderful person.
WILBUR CHAPMAN, NATHAN CHAPMAN'S FATHER: We know that that's part of what freedom requires. And I chose to serve in the military, and that was his choice. And all I can say is he died doing what he enjoyed doing, what he felt was the right thing to do. And we supported him in that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DORNIN: Now, Special Forces here at Fort Lewis were training as routine today. Chapman spent 13 years here on and off. He would go to Okinawa or be stationed in other places, but he would always come back here. He knew a great many people. He was considered a professional soldier and a wonderful person by those who knew him. He is not someone, his comrades say, they will soon forget.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
SGT. 1ST CLASS WILLIAM J. PENCE, FRIEND: The big thing was his personality. People tend to get drawn to him by his personality. When he was around, he'll -- excuse me -- he always made you laugh. He always -- no matter how bad it sucked, he would make you laugh.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
DORNIN: Now the base personnel here, of course, is taking care of his wife and two children. An escort from here is expected to bring the body back here sometime during the middle of this week, and a memorial service is expected to take place later this week -- Catherine.
CALLAWAY: Rusty, some emotional response here from his comrades there. Certainly Chapman was a military man through and through. He was from a military family indeed, wasn't he?
DORNIN: He was -- he was born actually on an Air Force base. His father was also in the Air Force. He also had participated in many of the major military operations of the last decade. He parachuted into Panama, he was part of Desert Storm, and he also went into Haiti. And his comrades also say that when he was in Afghanistan, he was doing exactly what he wanted to do when he joined the Special Forces.
CALLAWAY: He is a true American hero. Thank you, CNN's Rusty Dornin.
We're also learning more also about the mission that Sergeant Chapman was involved in when he died. Chapman was near the Pakistan- Afghan border when he was killed by small arms fire. And CNN's Jonathan Aiken has more on that and the continuing U.S. mission going on in Afghanistan.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
JONATHAN AIKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): The body of the first U.S. soldier to die from hostile fire since the conflict began arrived at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. Sargent 1st Class Nathan Chapman was part of a U.S. team dealing with local tribal leaders near the city of Khowst, when they came under fire.
VICTORIA CLARKE, PENTAGON SPOKESWOMAN: They were leaving the meeting, and the firefight erupted. We don't have that many more details at this time.
AIKEN: At a town meeting in Ontario, California, President Bush said he mourned Sergeant Chapman's death and promised it would not be in vain.
GEORGE W. BUSH, PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES: Nathan lost his life yesterday. But I can assure the parents and loved ones of Nathan Chapman that he lost his life for a cause that is just and important, and that cause is the security of the American people.
AIKEN: Back in Afghanistan, the U.S. gets to question a big catch so far in its Taliban dragnet. The former Taliban ambassador to Pakistan, Mullah Abdul Saleem Zaeef is in U.S. military custody now.
Zaeef was turned over by Islamabad after being questioned for several days by both Pakistani and U.S. intelligence about the whereabouts of both Osama bin Laden and Taliban leader Mullah Mohammed Omar.
The man who once ran bin Laden's training camps could be another source of information. Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi is now being held at a U.S. base at Kandahar.
While reports and rumors differ on bin Laden's whereabouts, U.S. Special Forces and Afghan fighters were searching for Mullah Omar in parts of Helmand province, but Afghanistan's Foreign Ministry spokesman noted reports that Omar left the region, protected by a cluster of fighters.
OMAR SAMAD, AFGHAN FOR. MINISTRY SPOKESMAN: As far as whether he has escaped on a motor bike or on a horse or in a car or by foot, it's something that we cannot confirm at this point. And it really does not in a way matter how he has escaped. The fact that he is on the run, and he has fewer and fewer places to run.
AIKEN (on camera): Military officials the valuable intelligence work that Sergeant Chapman was engaged in supports their belief that information on the ground backed up by airstrikes is the best way to bring al Qaeda and Taliban leaders to justice. Justice that sometimes comes at a very high price.
Jonathan Aiken, for CNN, the Pentagon.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
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