ROBERT SIEGEL, host:
From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.
Master Sergeant Chris Chapin of Proctor, Vermont, was laid to rest today. Chris Chapin was 39 years old and a member of the Army National Guard serving in Iraq. He was shot by a sniper as he was handing out voting information to Iraqis last week near Ramadi. Vermont Public Radio's Nina Keck has this remembrance.
NINA KECK reporting:
To close friends, Chris Chapin was known affectionately as Goomba. Rick Hill of Chittenden, Vermont, grew up with Chapin and says he thinks the nickname goes back to a defensive character on the old Pac-Man game. He says Chapin played defense for the high school's soccer team and the nickname just stuck.
Mr. RICK HILL: He kind of became this icon. He was Goomba and everybody knew of this guy, you know, just because of his mannerisms and the way he played the game. He gave it his all, but then would always, you know, be the first to get in line, shake hands with his opponent, give 'em that, like, Cheshire grin like, you know, `We just kicked your butt and had a good time doing it and good luck next time.' You know, that was the way he was.
KECK: Chapin loved his nickname, and friends say it fit his fun-loving personality perfectly. But Chapin got more serious after high school. He joined the Army and was a squad leader during the Gulf War. He later spent a year in Afghanistan. He joined the Vermont Army National Guard in 1993. When he wasn't on duty, he worked nights as a security guard at a local hospital. Hospital co-workers gathered this week at his wake and remembered their friend. Here are George Pratt, Stefan Goulet(ph) and Wendy Madison.
Mr. GEORGE PRATT: I told him--I said, `You ain't gotta go back. You already did your tour.' He says, `Ah, you know, we gotta stick together and I'd miss it if I didn't go,' so his mind was made up no matter what.
Mr. STEFAN GOULET: Well, the creed for the National Guard is duty, honor, country.
KECK: That was Chris.
Mr. GOULET: Oh, yeah.
Ms. WENDY MADISON: He believed in what they were doing over there, and he died doing what he believed in.
KECK: His longtime friend Rick Hill says he showed that same commitment to his friends and family. Hill says his phone has been ringing off the hook this week, and he's been hearing stories he hadn't heard before.
Mr. HILL: We just learned that one of our classmates--close friend--her mom was diagnosed with cancer and ultimately passed away, but while she was in treatment and whatnot, Chris would just stop by the house every so often just to check in with her, just to chat, probably have a cup of coffee with her and, you know, just--that was what he would do.
KECK: Chapin volunteered to go to Iraq this summer, and he'd been there just five weeks. A National Guard spokeswoman says the 39-year-old was handing out voting information to local Iraqis when he came under sniper fire August 23rd. Master Sergeant Chris Chapin is survived by his wife, Paula Smith Chapin, and his 21-year-old stepson Michael Smith. For NPR News, I'm Nina Keck in Rutland, Vermont.
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