Army Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Chapman,
I don't get it. I googled him,and the only thing he seems to have done that was "special" was getting shot to death while standing in a flatbed truck and issuing gear.
Want to see something special,look up Roy Benevidez and his actions during the VN war. Ever heard of ANYONE else jumping into combat out of a hovering helicopter armed with nothing but a Bowie knife and a medic's bag so he could treat the wounded in a recon team that was surrounded and had every member wounded to the point they couldn't walk?
BTW,he was armed with an AK-47 when he reached the recon team. He got it by using his bowie knife on the NVA that shot him with the AK.
Roy was not only a truly fierce warrior,he was also one of the nicest men you could ever hope to meet.
BTW,all the reports you read on him call him a "Mexican". He was NOT a "Mexican". He was an American of Yanqui Indian ethnicity.
He was originally awarded "just" a Silver Star for his actions,because he and everyone in the recon team that didn't die were sent off to different hospitals near their home towns to recover,and they just lost track with each other. They KNEW he had been put in for Medal of Honor because they all signed the paperwork,but it seems the paperwork somehow got lost with no one still on active duty to pursue it. So they got together several years later to see if they could get Roy what he deserved,and damned if they didn't manage to get it done!
BTW,that Bowie knife is still somewhere in Asia. Roy was the last one to climb aboard the rescue helicopter,and he was out of ammo. An NVA came running out of the jungle towards the helicopter just as Roy was starting to get in,so he stopped,and charged the NVA with his Bowie Knife,and then collapsed himself due to blood loss from all his wounds. The door gunner jumped out of the helicopter and loaded Roy on board.
The last time that Bowie knife was seen it was sticking out of the chest of the NVA that charged the helicopter.
When they finally got Roy back to the launch site where an actual doctor could treat him in a medical tent,the doc leaned over to look at him and pronounced him dead. Roy changed his mind about that by spitting a mouthful of blood in his face.
Yeah,Roy was something special,with bells on!
BTW,do NOT get thrown off by the way his face looks in all the official photos. He always looked extremely pissed off and fierce around strangers. In less formal occasions he had a smile that would light up a room with the pure joy it expressed,and it was on display anytime he spotted a friend.
