Air Force Tech. Sgt. John A. Chapman was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor on August 22, 2018.
Chapman, a combat controller, will be the 19th Airman awarded the Medal of Honor since the Department of the Air Force was established in 1947. He will be the first Airman recognized with the medal for heroic actions occurring after the Vietnam War and the 19th Airman to be honored as such.
During the Medal of Honor at the White House, President Trump called Chapman a “great warrior” as he told attendees about the airman’s efforts in the battle.
After his aircraft came under enemy fire, a teammate was ejected and the helicopter crash-landed, Chapman and his team members returned to Takur Ghar mountain to rescue their teammate.
At 10,000 feet, Chapman “charged into enemy fire through harrowing conditions, seized an enemy bunker and killed its enemy occupants. He then moved from cover to engage a machine gun firing on his team from a second bunker. While engaging this position, he was severely wounded by enemy gunfire. Despite severe wounds, he continued to fight relentlessly, sustaining a violent engagement with multiple enemy personnel before paying the ultimate sacrifice,” according to a statement from the White House.
This video of ISR Feed Highlights from Takur Ghar, Afghanistan, March 4, 2002, demonstrates TSgt. Chapman’s heroic actions.
