An Air Force hero was honored on Wednesday more than two decades after he was killed in action.
Master Sgt. John “Chappy” Chapman was honored with a detailed plaque carved from black granite at the Mount Soledad National Veterans Memorial in San Diego, Calif.
In 2018, Chapman became the first airman to be awarded the Medal of Honor since Vietnam for his bravery and valor in Afghanistan. Serving with a Navy SEAL team, Chapman was killed in the Battle of Takur Ghar on March 4, 2002, during a daring rescue mission. He was wounded while firing on an enemy bunker and his SEAL team thought he was dead. They departed, leaving Chapman behind. However, the airman regained consciousness and began firing on the enemy by himself until the assault was too much to overcome.
Chapman was one of seven U.S. soldiers killed that day in Afghanistan.
But he saved the lives of many and was awarded the military’s top honor for heroism. Dan Schilling, a retired combat controller, said Chapman’s love for his fellow soldiers led him to sacrifice everything.
“There is no greater love for people than to give your life for those that you don’t even know,” Schilling, CBS 8 in San Diego. “It’s also a love story in that he saved the lives of the SEALs that he was with, and then he saved the lives of another 18 men on this helicopter that he didn’t even know.”
Schilling, a bestselling author who wrote of Chapman’s final stand in, “Alone at Dawn,” said the airman went above and beyond the call of duty. He battled alone for 40 minutes, bleeding from two mortal wounds, eight bullet wounds and several shards of shrapnel lodged in his body, all while fighting three enemies in hand-to-hand combat. The book has been adapted into an upcoming feature film with Marine Corps veteran Adam Driver playing Chapman.
Investigation Leads to Medal
Following his death, the Pentagon conducted a 30-month investigation, scrutinizing drone video and Air Force-commissioned animation to find out what happened to Chapman. The findings confirmed that Chapman deserved the Medal of Honor of which he was posthumously awarded in 2018.
Travis Woodworth, a retired Air Force major, was among 14 troops in Chapman’s unit when he was killed. He feels strongly that Chapman’s bravery saved 27 men.
“He gave heart, soul, mind and everything he had, but more important than himself, it’s always been his teammates,” Woodworth said. “His legacy is that he always stepped up for teammates. He never passed up an opportunity to do that.”
Now Chapman’s legacy is memorialized in one of the nation’s traditional military cities. Placed on the corner of the memorial wall, Chapman’s image will look over the Combat Controller Association plaque honoring fellow soldiers killed in action.
“Ultimately, heroism is always a function of love,” Schilling said.
