A graduate of West Point and a veteran of the war in Iraq, he created the idea of Peace Literacy after his time in the military.

Since 2009 Chappell has offered workshops for educators, activists, community and faith leaders, law enforcement, veterans, and has taught courses on Peace Literacy and Leadership in colleges across the US and Canada.

[5] Despite his violent upbringing and turbulent educational record through high school, Chappell excelled as a student, and after graduation was accepted to West Point in 1998.

[5] He wrote the first draft of the book that became Peaceful Revolution in 2001 and graduated from West Point in June 2002 with a major in International Relations and a minor in Systems Engineering.

Peace literacy has developed into a growing movement of educators, citizen activists, and community leaders who want to empower people with training and skills.