A Goodbye to Nate

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Virgil Magee
  • Air Force Space Command Public Affairs
PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. --  The last time I saw Army Special Forces Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Chapman he was getting his Airborne wings from the commandant of the Army's Airborne School at Fort Benning, Ga. He and I were going through the same school. He was looking forward to a career with Special Forces. The way he explained it to me was that if we weren't willing to go to the undesirable places and do the dirty jobs that no one else wants to do, then the bad guy wins.

I remember thinking at the time that it was strange that someone still believed in the simple "good guy, bad guy" concept. In a time of rapidly changing geopolitical policy, was there still such a thing as a black-hatted villain?

The events of Sept. 11 showed me how right Nate was.

Nate was killed Jan. 4, when enemy fighters ambushed him near the Pakistan border - right in the middle of the action, where he longed to be.

Fighting wars from miles away has its advantages. But for Nate and other special operators, the sense of excitement is part of who they are. It's in their blood. They know the risk associated with the job and they accept it.

Nate's job as a Special Forces soldier, wearing the Army green beret, took him all over the world and into war zones. He parachuted into Panama during Operation Just Cause in 1989. He served in the Gulf War and was deployed to Haiti. And finally to Afghanistan.

He and the others from the 1st Special Forces Group (Airborne) left Fort Lewis and headed to the mountainous landscape of Afghanistan to do the dirty job of hunting down terrorists and restoring order to that country.

For those who choose to belong to Special Forces, when the war starts they feel an urge to be in the middle of the action, usually at a spot that many people can't find on a map. They do it, not for glory, medals or reward, but simply because it need to be done. Theirs is a close-knit group that many people will never understand. They look to each other as family. It's not uncommon for fellow team members to know more about each other than their own families.

Nate is now back home in Fort Lewis where his family of brothers in arms is stationed. There's nothing left to do except say goodbye Nate. Thanks for going where no one wanted to go and taking on the bad guy. (Courtesy Air Force Space Command News Service)