Memorial

David M. Tapper

Specialty:
Navy SEAL
tapper bronze star bronze star purple heart
BUD/S Class:
172
SEAL Service:
12 years
Rank:
Petty Officer First Class
Age:
32
Home:
Atco, New Jersey
Assigned:
Naval Special Warfare Development Group
Died:
August 20, 2003
Operation:
Enduring Freedom (Afghanistan)
Details:
Tapper was wounded when his convoy made contact with enemy forces in Paktika Province, Afghanistan, near the Pakistan border.  He was transported to Bagram Air Base hospital where he died of his wounds.
Awards:
Bronze Star with Combat “V” for valor (2)
Purple Heart
Other Awards:

Defense Meritorious Service Medal
Joint Service Commendation Medal
Joint Service Achievement Medal
Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal (2)
Combat Action Ribbon (2)
Contributions:
David Tapper distinguished himself as a SEAL operator in combat in both the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, earning two Bronze Stars. He joined the Navy in 1989 after graduating from high school, where he was an accomplished athlete and wrestler. 

Tapper, who knew from the outset that he wanted to be a SEAL, graduated from BUD/S in 1991.  Tapper first deployed to and fought in Afghanistan shortly after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. He was part of the initial U.S. force that invaded to strike the al-Qaeda leaders responsible, and topple the fundamentalist Taliban regime that harbored them.

Tapper also fought in the early, most dangerous stages of  the Iraq war, for two months in 2003. He participated in the April rescue of wounded POW Jessica Lynch and helped recover the bodies of nine American soldiers buried near the hospital where she was held. 

After six weeks leave, Tapper redeployed to Afghanistan as part of a dedicated team in the ongoing fight to rout Taliban and al-Qaeda insurgents, which have continued to conduct guerilla operations, particularly along the Pakistan border.

Tapper helped thwart al-Qaeda terrorists from regrouping, training, and launching strikes from Afghanistan since their lethal attack on the World Trade Center on September 11, 2001.

On August 20, 2003, Tapper was in a convoy conducting combat operations in a lawless province near the Pakistan border, when they were ambushed and he was shot in the back. Tapper was transported to Bagram Air Base hospital, where he died of his wounds. 

David Tapper is remembered with the greatest respect and gratitude by his fellow SEALs, the Navy, and our nation. 

Memorials: Friends, family, and teammates all remember his character and devotion:

One friend recalled that he was “always the first to volunteer, always the first to extend a helping hand.”

Another paid tribute to him as “a loving and dedicated father” who “lived for his children and his wife.”

A sister said gratefully, ”He grew up protecting his mother and sisters. Then he grew up to protect his country…David fought a good fight and accomplished his mission in life.”

His mother in turn spoke of his dedication to his teammates, “I know how much he loved his job and SEAL brothers. We always supported him.”

 

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