Amos B Chapman
We lost another of our few remaining WWII vets recently, when Amos Chapman died following a stroke. Amos grew up in Toppenish, WA but also lived in Seattle and graduated from Franklin HS. He joined the US Navy in May, 1943, just a couple months before turning 18. He served aboard the USS Killen (DD-593) in the Pacific as a Fire Controller. The Killen was a new destroyer built in Bremerton. It provided convoy escort, shore bombardment and anti-aircraft screen. It participated in action in the Surigao Strait in the campaign to retake the Philippines. The Killen was attacked by 9 Japanese Aircraft off of Leyte and was heavily damaged by a bomb, killing 15 crewmen. (In the photo at left, he displays the medal awarded to US Vets of the Phillippine campaign. At right, Amos is with his ship’s monkey mascot aboard the Killen. Such mascots were not uncommon in the Phillippine operations) Amos resided in Edmonds. He retired from the US Postal Service Seattle. He leaves 3 daughters, 7 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.
