Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Ross Chapman - San Antonio, TX
N 29° 27.963 W 098° 28.498
14R E 550907 N 3259736
The oak tree dedicated to Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Ross Chapman is growing at the corner of Incarnate Word High School building at 727 E. Hildebrand Ave., San Antonio, TX 78212.
Waymark Code: WM124J6
Location: Texas, United States
Date Posted: 02/25/2020
Views: 0
At the front corner of Incarnate Word High School, near the driveway circle, stands a mature oak tree with a dedication marker at its base that dedicates this tree to the honor of Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Ross Chapmen. It was placed there by his parents, who are 1963 alumni of this same high school. The dedication plaque is a metal plaque mounted on a small concrete base and is placed between the tree and the curb. The dedication marker reads as follows:
"In Honor of
Sgt, 1st Class Nathan Ross Chapman
April 23, 1970 - January 4, 2002
Sgt. Chapman was the son of Will and
Lynn Chapman, IWHS Class of 1963
February 11, 2002"
Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Ross Chapman was the first US soldier to die in combat in Afghanistan. He was there as a member of an elite team of CIA and US Army personnel. SFC Chapman enlisted at 18 years old and in his 13 years with the US Army had become a Green Beret, an expert in communications, and served in Haiti, Panama, and the Persian Gulf War. Because he was a communications specialist, he was picked with two other Green Berets to be part of a special unit combined with CIA officers to work in Afghanistan.
SFC Chapman received an engraved star by the CIA on their Memorial Wall of Honor. This is the highest honor given by the CIA. The Army also posthumously awarded him the Purple Heart, the Bronze Star and named a military base in Afghanistan after him (Forward Operating Base Chapman, AKA: Camp Chapman).
Link to Washington Post article about Sgt, Nathan Ross Chapman:
(
visit link)
Wikipedia link about Sgt 1st Class Nathan Ross Chapman:
(
visit link)