Willie James Chapman★ Vietnam War Gold Star Veteran from Alabama
On May 14, 1969 Sergeant Chapman was declared a casualty of the Vietnam War. ★ He served with honor in the United States Army. ★ He is remembered by the people of Alabama. ★ May his positive example inspire us. Working together towards peace, mutual respect, and equality for all.
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Our displayed data concerning the life and military history of Willie James Chapman is a work in progress. We've assembled a list of elements we are in the process of researching and reviewing. This profile was last edited on 2019-03-10 14:24:29.
Missing : Core Data
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Missing : Supplemental Data
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Service Details
| This Profile ID | 266252 |
| Service ID | 53846326 |
| Name | Willie James Chapman |
| From | Jackson, Clarke County, Alabama |
| Birth Date | June 21, 1948 |
| Casualty Date | May 14, 1969 |
| War | Vietnam War |
| Service Branch | Army |
| Rank | Sergeant |
| Specialty | Armor Crewman |
| Unit/Group | 101st Airborne Division, 3rd Battalion, 187th Infantry, C Company |
| Casualty Type | Died through hostile action .. small arms fire |
| Location | Dong Ap Bia Hamburger Hill 11-21 May 69, South Vietnam, Thua Thien province |
| Burial | Berry's Chapel AME Zion Church Cemetery, Winn, Clarke County, Alabama |
| Notable Awards |
★ Purple Heart |
| Remembered | Willie James Chapman is buried or memorialized at Berry's Chapel AME Zion Church Cemetery, Winn, Clarke County, Alabama.  Willie is honored on the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington DC. Name inscribed at VVM Wall, Panel 24w, Line 3. |
Additional Details
The Battle of Hamburger Hill (Hill 937) was a ten day ordeal from May 10–20, 1969. Although the heavily fortified hill was of little strategic value, U.S. command ordered its capture, only to abandon it soon after.The battle was primarily a U.S. Airborne infantry engagement. Attacks were repeatedly repelled by the well-entrenched NVA defenses. Bad weather also hindered operations. Nevertheless, the Airborne troops took the hill through direct assault, causing extensive casualties to the NVA forces. In the end over 50 Americans were killed and nearly 400 wounded in addition to several helicopters shot down. The debate over Hamburger Hill reached the United States Congress, with severe criticism of military leadership and it is considered a watershed event of negative public opinion toward the Vietnam War. |
Commendations + Awards
Please note this might not be a complete or completely accurate accounting. For some awards we use probability factors based on known service details. Thanks for your understanding.
★ Purple Heart
★ Combat Infantryman Badge
★ Marksmanship Badge
★ Parachutist Badge
★ National Defense Service Medal
★ Vietnam Campaign Medal
★ Vietnam Service Medal
★ Army Presidential Unit Citation
★ Vietnam Gallantry Cross
Notable Reference Sources
These are typically links to pages on external sites that have provided specific nodes of information. In most cases the information has some assurance of being crowd-sourced and vetted by a community of users.Alabama Gold Star Veterans Gallery
Honoring the men and women of Alabama who gave their all for their country. May their example of courage and sacrifice be our guide. To be strong and responsible in our lives as citizens of the world. 
Through honest daily actions, we honor them.
Through honest daily actions, we honor them.
Alabama was home to over 9,310 American Gold Star veterans from 4 wars of the 20th Century. Some significant statistics:
Alabama was home to over 9,310 American Gold Star veterans from 4 wars of the 20th Century. Some significant statistics:
• 1,326 World War I
• 6,043 World War II
• 730 Korean War
• 1,211 Vietnam War
• 105 Prisoners of war
• 1,519 Missing in action
• 52 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 79 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 8 Medal of Honor recipients
• 6,043 World War II
• 730 Korean War
• 1,211 Vietnam War
• 105 Prisoners of war
• 1,519 Missing in action
• 52 Pearl Harbor casualties
• 79 D-Day Normandy casualties
• 8 Medal of Honor recipients
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▼ Primary Sources - These are repositories for artifacts, documents, diaries, manuscripts, and other information that serve as original and authoritative sources of information.
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Findagrave.com
Ancestry.com
Honoring our fallen. Together. Uniting us in meaningful common cause. When we work together to honor our Gold Star veterans, we heal our nation together. It's a team effort. Everyone's invited to join as a Citizen Historian and Guardian of Honor. - learn more
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Specialists in buying and selling rare coins, currency and precious metals. One of Southern California's most respected dealers. Here's a fun fact. In Renaissance times coin collecting was known as the Hobby of Kings.
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Janine - I appreciate the opportunity to learn about the lives of American's who gave all for their country. We owe them everything!
Lenor - I look forward each day to helping get the word out about Honor States. Especially to the kids who really need to learn.
Irvin - Your website is outstanding and a great tribute to the Patriots who gave all. As a Vietnam veteran, I thank you very much.
Grace - Thank you for this tribute to our fallen veterans. They were wonderful young men who died way too young. It is sad.
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