Widow of first servicemember to die in Afghanistan War still struggling with loss, VA

Sgt. 1st Class Nathan Ross Chapman, 31, was killed January 4, 2002 in an ambush, becoming the first U-S soldier to die from hostile fire in Afghanistan.

/ Fort Lewis Public Affairs Office/Getty Images

(CBS News) Renae Chapman, the wife of the first American servicemember to be killed in the Afghanistan War, said the ten years since his death has been "really tough."

Chapman said she wishes "she could say it gets better, but it doesn't."

Her husband, Sergeant First Class Nathan Ross Chapman was a member of the special forces and was killed in Afghanistan less than three months after the official start of the war. His death is remembered as the 2000th American servicemember was killed Wednesday in the war that has been America's longest, lasting more than ten years.

Chapman began to cry as she recounted her late husband, with whom she has two children now aged 12 and 13.

"The hardest part is losing how funny he was. That's really the biggest part," Chapman said through tears.

"I miss him more. It's worse [now]. Much, much worse," Chapman said.

Nearly as long as Chapman, who attended President George W. Bush's State of the Union speech as a guest of First Lady Laura Bush in 2002, has been reeling from the loss of her husband, she has been facing another battle: the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

"Military benefits are a battle. It's an ongoing war," Chapman said. The military wife said the VA benefits are "really bad" and that the VA is disorganized, difficult to maneuver and looking for an excuse not to pay benefits.

"They refuse to pay for the benefits you were promised. You have to get an attorney for everything," Chapman, who has faced debilitating medical issues since her husband's death. "They clerical error you to death. They paperwork you to death."

For instance, Chapman said she didn't receive owed payments for dental work because the VA "insisted" that Nathan died a year earlier than he did, which would mean that some of her benefits would have expired.

(Watch CBS News' David Martin's piece at left on Marine Lance Corporal Nicholas Kirven who was killed in combat in May 2005.)

She also said she was denied medical benefits because the VA thought she had outside primary health insurance, which she says she did not.

Since injured and deceased servicemembers began returning home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, members of the military have faced challenges facing the Veterans Affairs Department. For example, the VA has a backlog of 900,000 disability claims and a high error rate on claims.

Most recently, Chapman said the VA has been withholding her benefits for the past 11 months until she submits paperwork proving she is not remarried. She said she has faxed them and mailed the necessary documents many times without a successful outcome from the VA. She said she has called numerous times but hasn't had any luck that way either. "Sometime their wait time is so long they won't allow you to wait," Champan said.

Dealing with the VA is "a full time job," she said.

CBS News reached out to the VA and they did not directly respond to Chapman's criticisms. However, a department spokesman did tell CBS News that the VA would look into her case.

Meanwhile, the suicide rate of returning servicemembers continues to rise to an average of one person per day. Veterans and military members are also more likely to face homelessness and unemployment.

Reflecting on the number of U.S. servicemembers who have died and the thousands more who are returning home with mental, physical or emotional injury, Chapman said she feels for them.

"They're going to come back hurt, emotionally and spiritually and they're not going to get the help they need," Chapman said.

[ST89468]

Does anyone recognize the name Nathan Ross Chapman? He was the 1st American Serviceman to die in combat during operation Enduring Freedom. A Green Beret - One of America's finest. His wife and children are in a never ending battle with the VA to obtain benefits. Their story is one of thousands, if not tens of thousands. As a nation we take care of veterans and their families - BS.
I wonder if anyone other than Chapman's family; his wife Renae, and his children Amanda, and Brandon ever even give him a passing thought. This year, like in the past, on Veterans day there will be more emty speeches for political gain.
Right now the politicians from both parties are stripping medical benefits from retired military. Most hospitals and doctors will not even accept Tri-Care. Everyone I talk to says it is an outrage. It is not even a talking point in the current political debates.
Write, email, and call your representatives and share this with them. See if they even know Champan's name. Watch and listen to them stumble all over themselves trying to answer this. Bring our troops home. Sgt First Class Chapman "Brother" you are not fogotten!

[TJphoto]

Active service Sept 71 -Sept 74, CIB. Active Reserve Sept 78 - May 83. Infantry/Artillery. I along with most Vets learned a long time ago "We are expendable". Politicians use us to get re-elected. Nothing more. Of course with the exception putting us in harm's way.

[fiddlestickawshucks]

That any returning vet or the family of a serviceman who was killed has to fight to get the benefits they are entitled to is obscene.

It didn't take the military long to get these troops together to go to Iraq or Afghanistan.

One of the police officers my son worked with was given two weeks to get his life in order and report for duty.

He and his wife had to withdraw from purchasing the house they had put a downpayment on and his wife lost a much wanted baby from all the stress.

It should come as no surprise to anyone that the VA has a backlog of 900,000 claims.

They will do everything they can to discourage veterans from trying to claim the benefits they are entitled to.

In a sense, it's no different than the government still trying to make up their minds as to what compensation those who died or developed serious and often fatal illnesses for their service on 9/11.

The government doesn't seem to have any backlog when it comes to paying the Afghanis for the loss of civilians who are accidentally killed by US forces.

It seems like the VA thinks they can save a lot of money if they can just stall long enough for the families of those killed and the returning wounded to become so frustrated and discouraged they just give up, die from their injuries or commit suicide.

The government had no problem wrenching these troops away from their families, their homes and their daily lives; but now that the bill has come due; they want to pretend they never existed.

The ability of the President and Congress to stick their heads in the sand whenever they are called to accountability for their actions never ceases to amaze me.

AND.. the absolute worst part of all this is that the American people continue to let them get away with it.!!!

DISGUSTING, DESPICABLE and any other derogatory term you can come up with perfectly describes our government and they way they treat our heroes.!

[retmw1]

The VA works on the three "D" concept Discourge, Dely, Deny.

[retmw1]

Delay

[Leftface]

Fix this story - his name was Nathan, not National.