Tech Sgt John Chapman, combat controller assigned to 24th Special Tactics Squadron will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously today at the White House for actions on March 4, 2002.
Chapman sustained nine wounds, seven nonfatal, as he fought for more than an hour, alone and outnumbered on the Takur Ghar mountain top in Afghanistan. His final efforts were in hand to hand combat.
The failed and controversial mission was part of Operation Anaconda, against al Qaida forces in the Shah-i-Kot valley.
Besides Chapman, Navy SEAL PO1 Neil Roberts, Senior Airman Jason Cunningham, Army Sgt Bradley Crose, Army Sgt Phillip Svitak, Army Spc Marc Anderson and Army Cpl Matthews Commons were also KIA during the mission.
In 2003, just days before my retirement, I was requested to represent the Navy at the memorial ceremony honoring these fallen Special Operators at the Veterans' Memorial Park at Boulder City, NV.
I ran into a long time friend and retired Special Forces MSgt representing the Special Forces Assoc and his son who wanted our photo.
Families and comrades of the fallen were in attendance at this highly emotionally charged ceremony.
The father, retired Navy SEAL James Patton, of Navy SEAL Shane E Patton who was later KIA in Afghanistan(2005) introduced himself and thanked me for attending. The son graduated from SEAL class 239 and I had just inspected construction at SEAL Training Base, San Clemente while SEAL class 244 was in training.
There were other strange coincidences involved in this event but too convoluted and time consuming to discuss here.
MOH today for AF Tech Sgt John Chapman
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