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Saturday, April 5, 2003
Cape Elizabeth man has high-tech, multilingual role to play
Copyright © 2003 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc. | ||||||
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With only a coffee pot and a few clean uniforms, Army 1st Lt. Kurt Chapman moved into a hotel this week in Killeen, Texas, near Fort Hood, the nation's largest military post. Chapman, a tank commander in the Army's 4th Infantry Division, is waiting for deployment. "He's been winging it," said Richard Chapman, Kurt's father. Richard speaks with his son once a week, and believes Kurt will be in Kuwait by the end of today. "He doesn't have any burning desire to get shot at in anger, but this is what he has trained to do, and he feels strongly about liberating Iraq. He feels that Saddam Hussein will have to be dealt with someday, and he would rather face him now, sooner than later," Chapman said. Kurt's primary duty is to command a scout platoon of about 20 men in six Humvees equipped with machine guns, grenade launchers and computers. He also will double as an interrogator and translator, having studied Arabic language at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, Calif. He can read and write in most Arabic languages, is fluent in Spanish, and speaks German and Russian, too, his father said. Richard and his wife, Virginia, last saw their son in January, when Kurt received orders that he would be deployed to Iraq within the next few months. They flew to Texas for a visit. "We knew he was just going to be busier than stink for the next month or two," Chapman said. "They work hard training day and night, and they are highly technical. They have the absolute latest in technology, which is really neat," Richard said. "It's a wonder they weren't sent over earlier." The 4th Infantry Division is considered the Army's most technically advanced division, equipped with the latest computer systems and military hardware. In February, Ann Russell of Cape Elizabeth, Kurt's girlfriend since 1999, returned home from Killeen, where she and Kurt shared an off-base apartment. Russell attended school and worked near the base, but decided to live in Maine while Kurt serves overseas. "She's a real sweetheart," Richard Chapman said. "She comes over fairly often and she's doing just fine. They talk every night and say they love each other. It's hard on them, there's no question about it. But she understands that this is what Kurt has chosen to do." The Chapmans try not to worry about their son's safety, and just try to keep busy, Richard said. But he has comfort in knowing that Kurt is well-trained and well-equipped for "what needs to be done." Kurt's family, friends and neighbors fully support his deployment, which has brought distant relatives closer together. Recently, Kurt has been in contact with cousins and old friends, and is looking forward to reunions and visits when he returns home. The Chapmans were told not to send any packages to their son for the first 30 days following his deployment, for reasons that are unclear to Richard. But they plan to send him humorous cards, maybe some cookies and "some things to pump him up and let him know we are thinking of him." Prayers will be said for a short war and "that all our troops will return home safely and quickly," Richard said. - Sherry Whittemore, news assistant We welcome your submissions for Mainers At War. E-mail information to mainersatwar@pressherald.com, or call 1-800-442-6036, ext. 6300.
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