POPE AIR FORCE BASE, N.C., Jan. 10 -- The Air Force bestowed its highest award today on Tech. Sgt. John A. Chapman, an air controller killed by enemy fire in Afghanistan last March while battling al Qaeda fighters on a mountaintop as he attempted to help retrieve the body of a Navy SEAL who had fallen from an ambushed helicopter.

It was only the third time since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975 that an enlisted airman received the Air Force Cross, which ranks just below the Medal of Honor and is given for "extraordinary heroism."

It was the second time in the past few months that the award has gone to one of the Americans who died in what became a 17-hour ordeal to seize the frigid, desolate top of Takur Ghar mountain in eastern Afghanistan.

In all, seven U.S. troops were killed in the March 4 fighting, which began when a helicopter carrying Chapman and a handful of Navy SEALs came under fire while landing on the ridge. As the damaged helicopter lurched away, one of the SEALs, Petty Office 1st Class Neil C. Roberts, fell out. Chapman and the other SEALs returned a short while later in another helicopter and assaulted several enemy bunkers.

"His conduct culminated in his selfless decision to place his own life in jeopardy to save fellow warriors, and thus by his sacrifice, we the living are called upon to adhere daily to those values this country cherishes," Air Force Secretary James G. Roche said of Chapman.

Visibly choked up and pausing more than once as tears filled his eyes, Roche presided over an hour-long ceremony in a giant hangar here filled with thousands of troops and many Chapman family members and friends.

After Chapman was killed, the SEAL team, with two wounded members, retreated down the mountain, just as a reinforcement contingent of Army Rangers arrived looking for them. The Rangers ended up in another enemy ambush.

Although U.S. forces ultimately eliminated all enemy fighters and secured the mountaintop, the loss of life in combat was the largest of any U.S. military unit since a firefight in Mogadishu, Somalia, in 1993.

A military investigation and reporting by The Washington Post revealed serious shortcomings in U.S. military coordination and communication that compounded the dangers U.S. troops confronted on Takur Ghar. U.S. intelligence sources had failed to detect enemy fighters on the ridge, leaving commanders to assume initially that it was safe to land forces there. Even after the extent of enemy resistance became clear, radio glitches interfered with the relay of critical information among the SEALs, the Rangers and officers elsewhere overseeing the operation.

Citing the secrecy that normally surrounds Special Operations forces, U.S. defense officials have offered few specifics about procedural and equipment fixes adopted as a result of the Takur Ghar battle. But no similar operational breakdowns have been reported.

The Pentagon has preferred to focus on the bravery of those who fought on Takur Ghar. Their actions did demonstrate dramatically the extraordinary commitment of U.S. soldiers not to leave fallen comrades behind. The Air Force, Army and Navy all had forces in the fight, and each service has moved to award a slew of valorous decorations.

Last September, the Air Force presented another Air Force Cross posthumously, to Senior Airman Jason Cunningham. A search-and-rescue specialist, Cunningham tended to wounded teammates before being hit and bleeding to death over several hours as commanders waited until dark to order another rescue attempt.

Next week, a Silver Star will be given to Staff Sgt. Kevin Vance, a tactical air controller who helped direct bombs against enemy positions within yards of where he and the Rangers had taken cover. Additional medals have been approved but not yet awarded to three other airmen involved in the fight.

The Army is planning a ceremony next week to recognize the Rangers. Eight will get Silver Stars, and another eight will receive Bronze Stars. Last month, a Distinguished Flying Cross went posthumously to Sgt. Philip Svitak, a gunner killed on a helicopter that carried one of the Ranger teams to Takur Ghar and crash-landed there after being struck by rocket-propelled grenades.

Awards for other helicopter crew members, all members of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, are pending, according to an Army spokesman. The Navy bestowed a Bronze Star posthumously on Roberts shortly after his death. Award nominations for his SEAL teammates are still being processed, a Navy spokesman said.

Gen. John P. Jumper, the Air Force chief of staff, handed an Air Force Cross today to Chapman's widow, Valerie, who stood on stage showing it to daughters Brianna, 4, and Madison, 6. The general also presented the medals to Chapman's father, Gene, and mother, Terry Giaccone.

The citation accompanying the award credited Chapman with killing two enemy fighters and engaging a heavy machine gun position, enabling the SEALs to survive. "While engaging this heavy machine gun, he was hit by a burst of gunfire and mortally wounded," it said.

Engaging in gunfights was not Chapman's primary mission. As a combat controller, he was responsible for directing aircraft in support of Special Operations forces on the ground. But he had extensive training in combat tactics.

Friends and family remembered Chapman today for his devotion to family and his dedication to his job. They also spoke of his athleticism, his good humor and his passion for cars and motorcycles. Chapman, who was 36 when he died, grew up in Windsor Locks, Conn., where he distinguished himself as a high school soccer player and member of the school diving team. He joined the Air Force in 1985, but was bored with his initial assignment in Colorado working with computers in a military communications facility. He became a combat controller in 1990. His first exposure to combat did not come until he was sent to Afghanistan early last year.

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