President Trump on Wednesday posthumously awarded Air Force Technical Sgt. John A. Chapman the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military award for valor, for sacrificing his own life to save a Navy SEAL who had fallen out of an aircraft on a snowy Afghan mountaintop on March 4, 2002.
“Our nation is rich with blessings, but our greatest blessings of all are the patriots like John [who] carry our freedom on their shoulders, march into the face of evil, and fight to their very last breath so that we can live in freedom, and safety, and peace,” Trump said at a ceremony in the East Room of the White House.
In attendance were Chapman’s wife Valerie, his daughters Madison and Brianna, his mother Terry, sister Lori, brother Kevin, and Valerie’s parents Rita and Jim Novak. Air Force Secretary Heather Wilson and Chief of Staff Gen. David Goldfein were also in attendance.
After Trump presented the award to Valerie, the audience — filled with Chapman’s team members, past Medal of Honor recipients, and airmen – burst into loud applause and cheering. Chapman is the first airman to be awarded the Medal of Honor since the Vietnam War.
Chapman enlisted in the Air Force on Sept. 27, 1985, two years after graduating from high school. He was among the “elite few” to complete Air Force Special Tactics Training, one of the most rigorous training programs in the military. He became an expert in deploying undetected onto the battlefield to set up airfields and direct fire support.
After the September 11, 2001, terror attacks, Chapman volunteered to deploy to Afghanistan, Trump said.
“He walked into his superior’s office, and said, ‘I need to go,'” he said.
On that fateful morning in Afghanistan, Chapman was part of a highly-trained team on a mission to establish a secure position on the peak of Takur Ghar Mountain in southeastern Afghanistan.
When Chapman and his teammates were preparing to land onto the mountain, their helicopter was struck by heavy machine gun fire and a rocket-propelled grenade by al Qaeda fighters. As the helicopter lurched away, Navy SEAL Petty Officer First Class Neil Roberts was flung onto the top of the mountain as the helicopter crash-landed into the valley below.
The team survived the crash, and without hesitation, returned to the mountain for Roberts. On top of Takur Ghar Mountain, at 10,000 feet, in deep snow, and heavy machine gun fire, they fought the enemy at the highest altitude of any battle in American military history.
Chapman was the first to charge up the mountain, Trump said. He killed two terrorists and cleared out the first bunker. He left the first bunker to fire an enemy grenade at another bunker. He was shot and lost consciousness. Minutes later, he regained consciousness and continued to fight alone for over an hour.
When another American helicopter carrying Army Rangers approached, Chapman provided covering fire to prevent the enemy from shooting it down.
“In this final act of supreme courage, John gave his life for his fellow warriors. Through his extraordinary sacrifice, John helped save more than 20 American servicemembers, some of whom are here today,” Trump said.
Trump said Chapman’s selflessness started at a very young age. In Kindergarten in Winsdor Locks, Connecticut, Chapman had noticed a classmate being bullied. His friend later said, “John stepped in and saved me.”
In his high school yearbook, Chapman quoted these words: “Give of yourself before taking of someone else.”
“It’s very far-sighted. John lived by that motto every single day. Everybody that knew him said that’s the way he lived,” Trump said.
Chapman is the first Special Tactics Airman to receive the Congressional Medal of Honor.
Kristina Wong is Breitbart News’ Pentagon correspondent. Follow her on Twitter at @kristina_wong.
COMMENTS
Please let us know if you're having issues with commenting.