Military

Story behind first US combat death in Afghanistan finally revealed

Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Ross Chapman was the first member of the military killed by enemy fire during the Afghanistan war, but many details his mission had never been revealed – until now.

Working as a communication specialist for a CIA paramilitary team, Chapman was gunned down when his convoy was ambushed en route to investigate an Al Qaeda safe house on Jan. 4, 2002, The Washington Post reported. Chapman’s gun was later found emptied of bullets, showing the Green Beret had fired every shot he could before slumping over in the back of a pickup truck.

Chapman was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star with a V for valor and the CIA issued him an intelligence star. The agency also listed Chapman on its Memorial Wall after a 13-year delay, the Post reports.

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Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Ross Chapman was the first member of the military killed by enemy fire during the Afghanistan war, but many details his mission had never been revealed – until now.

Working as a communication specialist for a CIA paramilitary team, Chapman was gunned down when his convoy was ambushed en route to investigate an Al Qaeda safe house on Jan. 4, 2002, The Washington Post reported. Chapman’s gun was later found emptied of bullets, showing the Green Beret had fired every shot he could before slumping over in the back of a pickup truck.

Chapman was posthumously awarded a Bronze Star with a V for valor and the CIA issued him an intelligence star. The agency also listed Chapman on its Memorial Wall after a 13-year delay, the Post reports.

Read more at Fox News

Image courtesy of afghanistanstudygroup.org

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The SOFREP News Team is a collective of professional military journalists. Brandon Tyler Webb is the SOFREP News Team's Editor-in-Chief. Guy D. McCardle is the SOFREP News Team's Managing Editor. Brandon and Guy both manage the SOFREP News Team.

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