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GREENSBORO - The blacked-out C-130 corkscrewed downward in the Afghan darkness toward a makeshift airstrip in a brand-new war.

Army Capt. Robert H. Clapper II sat on the plane with fellow soldiers of varied ranks and branches, united in their fear of the unknown that night in 2001.

"You went from practicing, practicing, practicing," Clapper said, to the real thing. "It no longer was practice."

"The master said 'lock and load.' You really don't know what you're jumping into," he said. "You're not locking and loading blanks."

The massive cargo plane touched down, but never slowed its pace of 4 mph as soldiers in the first wave of the war on terror dropped onto the dirt. Then it took off, leaving Clapper and comrades behind enemy lines.

"It was the Wild Wild West," said Clapper, who was a captain and a unit operations officer in the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment.

As the new president of the Greensboro Chamber of Commerce, Clapper has come to town on a different mission - to wrangle the group into an aggressive force for small-business growth and big-business involvement.

His goal is more jobs, a stronger economy for Greensboro and the Triad.

But he faces an economy as dark and unknown as his first combat experience.

"A lot of folks, including myself, are more holding our breaths for what we believe is going to be the aftershock of the (financial) earthquake. I think it's further down the path," Clapper said.

At 34, Clapper is already well into a successful career as an economic development leader and has completed a career in the military inspired by the three generations of his family who served before him.

In two years at the Laurens County Chamber of Commerce in South Carolina, Clapper not only expanded chamber membership by 30 percent in one year, he also helped that chamber earn the National Chamber of the Year award for 2007 and 2008.

He got word of the 2008 award not long after starting work in Greensboro in early September.

Clapper came to chamber work in 2006 from Presbyterian College, where he finished his Army career in ROTC and recruiting, coached women's soccer and directed a fundraising program.

In addition to the Bronze Star Medal for Valorous Combat Action in Afghanistan, Clapper also received a 2004 General Douglas MacArthur Leadership Award, the Army's highest award for a company grade officer.

The 28-pound metal bust of MacArthur sits on a shelf near his desk, a reminder to Clapper of his strong desire to unite people in teams to surmount obstacles.

"The military is a huge part of my family," Clapper said.

His wife is an active-duty Army major, his sister is a captain also on active duty in Iraq. His brother-in-law is a Navy officer.

Clapper's great-grandfather served in World War I, his grandfather in World War II, Korea and Vietnam, and his father did two tours of duty in Vietnam in infantry and special forces.

Four generations earned Bronze Stars; Clapper now owns the citation signed by Gen. John "Black Jack" Pershing for his great-grandfather.

"There are aspects that'll always be close to my heart that I'll miss," Clapper said of military service. "The camaraderie, standing shoulder to shoulder with someone who has a completely different background."

An exuberant extrovert, Clapper said he's perfectly happy meeting the chaos of local economies.

To enter Army special operations command, "everybody takes this personality test," Clapper said. "One question stands out better than most which pretty much sums up my own personal approach: 'Do you prefer chaos over calm?' I'm one of those people who leans more toward chaos than calm."

"I live every day as if it's my last," he said. For more than a year in Afghanistan, "there were some situations where I didn't know if it would be my last. I live each day at 110 mph - I hope that that energizes other people."

Clapper is working hard to make connections and introduce himself to as many people as he can.

He recently met furniture analyst Ivan Cutler at the High Point Market, where they had a brief conversation. To Cutler's amazement, Clapper sent a short, hand-written note offering to chat further at any time.

"He didn't have to do this," Cutler said. "He is an ambassador. That conveyed to me that he's interested and wants to learn from others."

It also shows Clapper's interest in creating economic strength through regional connections. Chambers of commerce in the Triad have tried but have never been especially good at building alliances.

Clapper said that's essential, and one way to start is by encouraging small business. He has already met with Jon Obermeyer, chief executive officer of the Piedmont Triad Entrepreneurs Network, and Sam Funchess, president and CEO of the Nussbaum Center for Entrepreneurship, offering the chamber's support and encouragement.

"There's an opportunity to explode with the entrepreneurial spirit," he said.

"Let's figure out a way to put it on steroids."

The chamber won't drop its traditional role of helping its local members to be better business people, meet one another, and achieve community growth.

But Clapper wants to be sure it takes a focused approach toward entrepreneurs.

That's essential, he said, because the Triad is past the days of dominant manufacturing companies.

"I see the entrepreneurs of the future and entrepreneurial support as a role of this chamber going forward," Clapper said.

Contact Richard M. Barron at 373-7371 or richard.barron @news-record.com