The military is investigating the death of Army Capt. James E. Chaffin III, 27, who lost his life April 1 in Kandahar, Afghanistan. The Department of Defense says Chaffin died in a "non-combat related incident."
Chaffin was assigned to the 3rd Battalion, 319th Field Artillery Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division, Fort Bragg, N.C.
Chaffin, who was known as "Ed," grew up in Midlands, S.C., and graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 2009.
Childhood friend John Warren told WIS-TV:
"I cannot think of a single person in the world who would have anything bad to say about Ed. He was alternatively one of the funniest people I knew, but I've been thinking about it a lot in the last couple of days, he's the most brilliant person I ever met in my life."
