Chapman posthumously awarded Air Force Cross
The Fayetteville Observer - 11 January 2003
By Henry Cuningham
The secretary of the Air Force on Friday choked with emotion and covered his face with his hands as he recalled the bravery of Tech. Sgt. John A. Chapman. James G. Roche, the senior civilian leader of the Air Force, described the Pope Air Force Base combat controller as "an American's American."
Chapman posthumously received the Air Force Cross in an emotional ceremony attended by the Air Force's highest officials at Pope's Hangar 6. Chapman was cited for heroism against an armed enemy for his efforts during a firefight March 4 in the eastern highlands of Afghanistan as part of Operation Anaconda. Chapman was 37.
The award is the military's second highest for valor in combat. It is surpassed only by the Medal of Honor. "Since its creation in 1960, the Air Force Cross has been awarded to only 23 enlisted airmen," said Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force Gerald R. Murray. "John is only the third since the end of the Vietnam War to receive this distinguished award. Such is the high degree of heroism for the merit of this medal's award."
Gen. John Jumper, the Air Force chief of staff, hailed Chapman as "the very best among us." Jumper presented the award to Chapman's widow, Valerie, and their daughters, Madison, who is 6, and 4-year-old Brianna. "John saved the lives of his teammates," Jumper said. "There can be no greater tribute to any soldier, sailor, airman or Marine or to any human being."
Chapman was a member of the 24th Special Tactics Squadron at Pope. Combat controllers are trained as air traffic controllers and can set up makeshift runways anywhere in the world. They are skilled in radio communications. Chapman was a military freefall parachutist, a static-line jumpmaster and a military scuba-diving supervisor.
"I hope the civilian population can grasp the significance of the award of this medal and why men and women like John have and continue to willingly serve God and our country," Valerie Chapman said after the ceremony in a statement to reporters. "John exemplified what the U.S. military and particularly the Air Force combat controllers represent."
Chapman's aircraft came under enemy fire, causing Neil Roberts, a Navy Sea-Air-Land commando, to fall 5 to 10 feet onto a snowy mountaintop below. The aircraft landed more than four miles away. Chapman called for an AC-130 aircraft to provide overhead security for his team and for a rescue helicopter.
"Without regard for his own life, Sgt. Chapman volunteered to rescue his mission team member from an enemy stronghold," the citation said. After landing, Chapman killed two enemy soldiers and kept advancing toward a dug-in machine-gun nest.
"John and his teammates were obstinate in their refusal to leave their fallen comrade behind," said Roche, the secretary of the Air Force. "Despite imminent danger presented by a well-armed and entrenched enemy, John and his comrades returned to attempt to rescue." Chapman exchanged fire with the enemy until he was shot to death. The Navy SEAL team leader credited Chapman "unequivocally with saving the lives of the entire rescue team," the citation said.
Col. Craig D. Rith, the commander of the 720th Special Tactics Group at Hurlburt Field, Fla., talked about Chapman before the ceremony. "John is the kind of guy that would have given you the shirt off his back, and he lived his life accordingly," Rith said. "John is part of a very special unit. Those units oftentimes go into harm's way. John knew this, as do all the men, and was willing to do so."
A plaque in honor of Chapman was added to the 41 names on the monument in front of Combat Control School on Hurst Drive in a noon ceremony. The monument bears the names of combat controllers who died in the line of duty since 1953. Some died in places such as Laos and Vietnam.
Several hundred people at the ceremony, including civilian family members, got on the grass to do memorial push-ups in honor of those who died.
Combat controllers wear the scarlet beret symbolizing the blood of men who died. At the bottom of the beret is a black band symbolizing courage to face the unknown. A knot in back stands for brotherhood. Combat controllers have been described as "men with great dreams and the guts to make those dreams happen," said Lt. Col. Kenneth Rodriguez, the squadron commander. "I thought, 'boy, if that does not describe John to a T.'"
Rodriguez said he wondered what was going through the minds of the teammates the first time their helicopter was shot up. "The first time, they didn't know exactly what was up there," he said. "They didn't realize all the enemy was up there. But when they went back in, they knew exactly what they were going into, back into an enemy's hornet's nest."
Every man on the hillside distinguished himself, especially Chapman, who attacked one enemy position after another, Rodriguez said. "He kept firing until he went down, and he went down swinging," he said.