Warrior of the Week: Todd Chapman

Gator 99.5 has teamed up with Loggerheads, Riverside Resort in Lake Charles to honor your warrior. We want to salute the true heroes among us, those who have answered the call to serve their country with unwavering dedication and bravery.

Each week, we will choose a different WARRIOR OF THE WEEK to honor and we will write a quick story about each of them. If you would like to nominate someone for our Warrior of the Week, CLICK HERE.

With over 2 million service members, including Reserve and National Guard soldiers, the United States military is one of the world's largest. Its branches—Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Space Force, and Coast Guard—have distinct roles and cultures, but they all share a sense of patriotism and commitment to serving the United States.

Joining the military is a special commitment, whether it's for a few years or a lifetime. It is crucial for servicemen and their families to feel supported by their fellow Americans.

Here are a few of my favorite quotes that help us put into words our feelings about our troops and what their service means to our nation...

"There is nothing stronger than the heart of a volunteer." -- Gen. James H. Doolittle

"No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation." -- Gen. Douglas MacArthur

"If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more, and become more, you are a leader." -- John Quincy Adams

"This will remain the land of the free so long as it is the home of the brave." -- Elmer Davis

This week, our Loggerheads and Riverside Resort Warrior of the Week is Todd Chapman!

Here is a little story Todd shared with us about his journey...

"Hi, My name is Todd Chapman. I enlisted in the Marine Corps infantry in 2004. I was at McNeese and decided I wanted to see the world before entering into a corporate world. I chose the Marine Corps because I wanted a challenge, and they offered it. I was promoted quickly and was a Sergeant, meritorious, by the time I was 21. After a life-changing event while deployed, I began a journey for the next 15+ years that would require me to relearn who I was, teach myself how to be, and come up with a plan and implement the plan so I could live a life that resembled what I saw as a life worth living.

Afterward, I decided to get extremely active in the Southwest Louisiana Veterans Association. The Southwest Louisiana Veterans Association aims to help veterans of all types. As president, I take my experience where I had to learn on my own, and how and where to get help along the way and implement it into our vision of how we help veterans.

We are diverse in our aid for veterans as we also vary from building wheelchair access ramps to holding monthly socials for veterans to socialize with other vets and it also encourages vets to get out of the house who would otherwise want to stay isolated. With our board being strictly volunteer we have zero incentive to put personal interests first and we are lucky enough to have a diverse board of 7 members who have a skill set that varies from each other.

Our goal is to serve vets as quickly and efficiently as possible in any area where they need help. We pride ourselves on helping and with our nonprofit status we are able to work with other businesses who help us achieve our goal. Our motto is, "For Veterans By Veterans, and I feel as though we truly embody the spirit of giving back without asking for anything in return. Without our community, we wouldn't be where we are, and we are forever grateful for what they've done for us."