|
Tomorrow, Air Force Technical Sergeant John Chapman will posthumously be awarded the Medal of Honor, America’s highest military commendation, for his exceptional bravery and valor in Afghanistan, where he perished on March 4, 2002. He will be the nineteenth airman to be awarded the Medal of Honor, and the first since the Vietnam War.
Following TSgt Chapman’s death, his widow and daughters moved to Northwest Florida. I am proud that they call our region home, and I was glad to spend time them before they traveled to Washington for the ceremony.
TSgt Chapman and members of Navy SEAL Team 6 were scheduled to land on a peak in Afghanistan, where they expected two to three hundred lightly-armed al-Qaeda fighters. Intelligence estimates were wrong, and instead, they faced nearly a thousand heavily-armed fighters, some equipped with mortars and RPGs. After his helicopter was heavily damaged, Chapman crash-landed, and, from the ground, continued to call in airstrikes. He cleared an enemy bunker before being hit by enemy fire, and continued fighting and protecting his fellow soldiers until he was struck again. His actions were truly heroic, and the Medal of Honor is well-deserved.
For more information on the heroism of TSgt Chapman, see also:
Northwest Florida Daily News
Special Tactics airman to receive posthumous Medal of Honor
MyPanhandle.com
Local Hero: Fallen Air Force Sgt. is Posthumously Honored with the Medal of Honor
Military.com
Video Shows Final Heroic Moments That Earned John Chapman the Medal of Honor
The New York Times
SEAL Team 6 and a Man Left for Dead: A Grainy Picture of Valor
Newsweek
The Navy SEALs Allegedly Left Behind a Man in Afghanistan. Did They Also Try to Block His Medal of Honor?
Photo of John Chapman available here
Photo of Medal of Honor available here |
