It’s been more than 20 years since John Chapman’s bravery in the face of insurmountable odds eventually earned him a Medal of Honor.
His epic story is finally getting big-screen treatment, and the role will be played by a veteran.
Award-winning actor and Marine Corps veteran Adam Driver will play Chapman, a combat controller in the Air Force who was killed fighting alone on a mountaintop in Afghanistan in 2002. When a Navy SEAL's mission went haywire, Chapman found himself trying to fend off enemy fire while a helicopter with Army Rangers attempted to land and rescue him.
Legendary director Ron Howard will reportedly direct the film, called “Alone at Dawn,” matching the title of a book written about Chapman by authors Dan Schilling and Lori Chapman Longfritz, Chapman’s sister. Schilling spent 30 years in the military, also serving as a combat controller and special tactics officer in the Air Force.
The film will also include actress Anne Hathaway playing the role of an intelligence officer who fought for Chapman to posthumously receive the Medal of Honor. Amazon MGM will produce the film, which is planned to be a theatrical release. A release date has not been established.
Honored Many Years Later
The film will cover the early stages of the U.S. involvement in Afghanistan following 9/11. In the opening weeks of 2002, Chapman, a technical sergeant, was stuck on a snow-covered mountain pinned down by al-Qaeda soldiers. Chapman, battered and wounded, held the attackers at bay, giving cover to the rescue helicopter before being killed.
It was a tremendous moment of bravery. But Chapman’s family had to wait 16 years for him to be awarded the Medal of Honor.
Chapman was involved in a Special Operations mission fighting in the Battle of Takar Gur. He was part of a SEAL team, and his unit came in to pinpoint a reconnaissance area during Operation Anaconda. The helicopter his team was flying in took on enemy fire, causing SEAL Neil Roberts to fall out of the chopper. Turning back to check for Roberts, Chapman’s team was bombarded by an al-Qaeda assault. Engaging in a firefight, the skirmish was dubbed “Roberts’ Ridge,” paying tribute to the fallen SEAL who was killed soon after falling to the ground.
Not knowing what happened to Roberts, Chapman and the SEALs pushed on. Roberts headed for an enemy bunker, killing two al-Qaeda soldiers. His SEAL partners tried to provide cover, but within a few moments, Roberts was shot and believed to have died. However, Chapman was still alive and regained consciousness following the SEALs' departure from the area.
As hours passed, Air Force combat controllers strongly believed they could hear Chapman trying to communicate back to headquarters through his radio.
“I am absolutely positive [it] was John’s voice. I have no doubt whatsoever,” an operator later told officers investigating Chapman’s death.
In the sky above the mountain, a Predator drone and two AC-130 gunships hovered over, recording night-vision videos and listening to radio traffic. While not knowing it at the time, aircrews were capturing a firefight between Chapman and enemy forces that raged on for most of the night.
Despite being severely hurt, Chapman used hand-to-hand combat to kill one al-Qaeda fighter. Several hours later, Rangers approached the mountain with a rescue helicopter. Knowing the enemy would ambush the chopper, Chapman engaged in a firefight, drawing attention toward himself instead.
A year after he was killed in action, Chapman was honored with the Air Force Cross, and in 2018, was finally awarded the Medal of Honor. It was the highest military honor an airman had received since the Vietnam War.
“Despite severe, mortal wounds, he continued to fight relentlessly, sustaining a violent engagement with multiple enemy personnel before making the ultimate sacrifice,” reads Chapman’s Medal of Honor citation. “By his heroic actions and extraordinary valor, sacrificing his life for the lives of his teammates, Technical Sergeant Chapman upheld the highest traditions of military service and reflected great credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.”
From Marine Corps to Oscar Nominee
Like many Americans, Adam Driver was motivated to join the military following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
Driver enlisted in the Marine Corps and became a mortar man in the 1st Battalion, 1st Marines. After receiving a medical discharge, he left the Marines as a lance corporal. As an actor, Driver has been nominated twice for Academy Awards for the films “Marriage Story” and BlacKkKlansman.”
