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CNN Saturday Morning News
Chapman Was 13-Year Army Veteran
Aired January 05, 2002 - 09:01 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.
KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: More now on the death of Sergeant Nathan Chapman. He'd been in the Army for 13 years and was a veteran of U.S. military action in Panama, Haiti, and Operation Desert Storm.
We have two reports now on Chapman's death. CNN's Jonathan Aiken is at the Pentagon, and CNN's Lilian Kim is at Fort Lewis, Washington, with reaction from family and friends.
Lilian, let's begin with you.
LILIAN KIM, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Kyra, Sergeant First Class Nathan Ross Chapman was based here at Fort Lewis, Washington, for most of his military career. The Green Beret communications specialist joined the Army 13 years ago. Before Afghanistan, Chapman served in Panama, Haiti, and Operation Desert Storm.
The 31-year-old leaves behind a wife and two children, a 2-year- old daughter and a 1-year-old son.
Chapman, as you said, is the first American soldier killed by enemy fire since the military campaign in Afghanistan began. For the people here at Fort Lewis, the loss is just starting to sink in.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIPS)
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: I have really a lot of respect for my guys that are in the military.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: When something like this happens, I think it probably hits every military family.
UNIDENTIFIED MALE: Definitely makes the world a lot smaller when you realize that somebody from your base that you could be leaving at any time, that it was actually here and not, you know, Fort Drum or people that go all the places. It was Fort Lewis.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Well, you know, it's a big concern for a lot of people because it could be more to follow this. So this could be the start of something.
UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: We just want this all to come to an end, and I know that's what we're trying to do.
(END VIDEO CLIPS) KIM: Chapman's parents live in Georgetown, Texas. Later today we expect to hear from them and his commander.
That is the latest from Fort Lewis, Washington. I'm Lilian Kim.
Kyra, back to you.
PHILLIPS: All right, Lilian Kim, thank you so much.
Now we're going to take it over to the Pentagon where our Jonathan Aiken is standing by with more on this story -- Jonathan.
JONATHAN AIKEN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hi, Kyra.
We're told that Sergeant Chapman's body arrived a few hours ago at Ramstein Air Base in Germany. We still have some phone calls out and getting some of the details. Arrangements are not complete, but we have been told that a plane carrying the sergeant's body will leave Ramstein probably 24 hours from now. It'll be tomorrow morning, Sunday morning Eastern time, Sunday afternoon local time, at Ramstein.
Sergeant Chapman was working on the ground in eastern Afghanistan. He was with a team of U.S. personnel, including a CIA operative, and they were working near the town of Khowst in Paktia Province. We're told it's a rough neighborhood. There are bandits, there are rogue gunmen, some of them affiliated with al Qaeda and Taliban, others just freelancers.
All, we're told, eager to take advantage of the bounty that intelligence officials say has been put on the head of U.S. intelligence operatives in Afghanistan.
Pentagon officials say that after this U.S. team on the ground met with local tribal leaders, they were ambushed.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
GEN. TOMMY FRANKS, U.S. CENTRAL COMMAND: What I know is that it -- there was an exchange of small arms fire, that this American serviceman was doing his job, that he was out for the purpose of working with and coordinating with tribal leaders in that area. And I think anything else that I would say at this point would be a bit too speculative, and so I'll leave it at that.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
AIKEN: Well, once again, the Pentagon not entirely sure who did the firing. There are some rogue elements in the area. It's not friendly territory. Sergeant Chapman, though, we do know, is the 11th American to die in the conflict in Afghanistan, and the first to die by hostile fire -- Kyra.
PHILLIPS: Jonathan Aiken from the Pentagon, thank you.
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