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CNN Live Saturday

Sergeant 1st Class Chapman Remembered by Family and Friends

Aired January 05, 2002 - 20:04   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.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: President Bush says Green Beret Nathan Chapman, the first U.S. soldier killed in combat in Afghanistan died for a just cause. At a town hall gathering in California, the president warned that more American soldiers may die, and that the war against terrorism is entering a more dangerous phase.

Chapman was ambushed yesterday during a sudden firefight in eastern Afghanistan. U.S. officials say the Special Forces soldier was gathering information on Taliban and al Qaeda members. He was working with local tribal leaders near Gardez and Khowst.

Chapman was 31 years old, married, and the father of two. His body was flown to Ramstein Air Base in Germany today, and should arrive at his base in the United States sometime in the next few days.

Well those who knew Nathan Ross Chapman describe him as a dedicated soldier, a family man and a son. CNN's Frank Buckley met with the Green Beret's parents today in Georgetown, Texas, and he has more on that meeting. Frank, I was really -- I don't know. I was very touched to see the family talk so much about the pride of work that Sergeant Chapman felt about what he was doing.

FRANK BUCKLEY, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Yes, Carol, and clearly, understandably a very difficult time for them. They just found out yesterday that their son was killed in action in Afghanistan, and yet they've been so gracious in talking to all the reporters who have come by today, they say because they want people to remember their son.

Nathan Chapman, 31 years old, as you said a Sergeant 1st Class, a Green Beret, a professional soldier, but also a husband, a husband to Renee and also a father to Amanda who is two years old, and to Brandon who is just one year old. They are all in Fort Lewis, Washington where Nathan was stationed. His parents say Nathan knew and accepted the risks of his chosen profession.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

WILBUR CHAPMAN, SOLDIER'S FATHER: He just did his job. He did what he was trained to do, and he felt a certain duty to country, and he served. It cost him his life.

People who view the military from afar, view these people as fighting men who may be arrogant, may be aggressive, but they're really not that way. They are confident, quietly confident individuals, you know, who have a job to do and they do it very professionally.

But in their home life, Nathan and I know many of these other men are the same way, had a compassion and a tenderness and lovingness about him that seemed to belie his other work, you know the kind of job that he had.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

BUCKLEY: Wil and Lynn Chapman say that they have no regrets about the chosen profession that their son had, and the fact that he paid the ultimate sacrifice in performing his duty. They say their son would have not had any regrets either -- Carol.

LIN: Frank, when was the last time that they actually spoke to their son?

BUCKLEY: Well, it was Christmas Day. Somehow he was able to call on a satellite phone, they believe and until that moment, Wil says, they weren't sure that Nathan was in fact in Afghanistan.

He had deployed in November and during this phone call on Christmas Day, he mentioned to them the time zone that he was in, and from that, they deduced that well he's probably in Afghanistan, or at least in that region. Of course, they knew he was Special Forces, so they had thought all along that he was in that area.

During that phone call, interesting to note that Nathan said to them that "look, I can't be with my family on Christmas Day, but at least I'm with my second family" meaning his fellow soldiers, and he said they're a great bunch of guys -- Carol.

LIN: All right, that must have been a comforting thought for his parents. Thank you very much. Frank Buckley reporting there live with Sergeant Chapman's family.

Well as Frank was just saying that Sergeant Chapman did leave behind a second family, of course we're talking about his military family. CNN's Rusty Dornin joins us from Fort Lewis, Washington, where Chapman was based -- Rusty.

RUSTY DORNIN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Well, Carol, Special Forces groups operate under such incredibly dangerous conditions, and often depend on one another absolutely for survival, that they really do intend to see each other as family, and the family here has suffered a terrible loss.

Now, Sergeant 1st Class Nathan, or as his friends called him Nate Chapman, came here in 1988 after his basic training and he came back and forth here many times during the past 13 years.

Now this is a day of mourning here at Fort Lewis, but the Special Forces group did go out. There was some target practice today. Now Sergeant Chapman was involved in many major military operations throughout the past decade. He was in Panama, parachuted into Panama. He was in Haiti. He served in Desert Storm. His superiors and his comrades in arms describe a man who was an incredible professional soldier, a wonderful open-hearted family man, and just an all-around nice guy.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

COLONEL DAVID P. FRIDOVICH, GROUP COMMANDER: Nate Chapman was a dynamic, outgoing, physically and mentally hard soldier, known by his team to have an absolutely fun, great sense of humor.

He embodied not just the warrior ethic, but served as a stellar example of Special Forces ethos.

CAPTAIN EDWIN D. HOENIG, FRIEND: He knew soldiers very well. Soldiers loved to work with him. He loved to work with soldiers. But when the workday was done, he loved to go home to his family. He loved his wife Renee very much and his two children, and we're all going to miss him. He was a great guy.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

DORNIN: It's a little bit unclear what the final burial plans will be, but from what we understand, there is an escort from Fort Lewis who will fly out, escort the body back here sometime in the middle of next week, and there will be a memorial service sometime towards the end of the week -- Carol.

LIN: Rusty, I understand that Sergeant Chapman's wife and children live in that town, and I'm wondering whether you have a sense of how much they knew about exactly their husband and father was doing.

DORNIN: They have not. The base has been very protective of the wife and the two children. They just -- the only thing they would really talk about is how much support they are giving them, but they have really declined in talking about the background of how much the family knew about where he was. So that's a little unclear.

LIN: Got you. All right, thank you very much. Rusty Dornin, reporting live from Fort Lewis.

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