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The
President of the United States
Takes Pride in Presenting
The Air Force Cross (Posthumously)
To
John
Chapman
T/Sergeant, U.S. Air Force
For
Services as Set Forth in the Following
Citation:
The President of the United States of America,
authorized by Title 10, Section 8742, U.S.C., awards the Air Force Cross
to TSgt John Chapman for extraordinary heroism in military
operation against an armed enemy of the United States as a 24th Special
Tactics Squadron, Combat Controller in the vicinity of Gardez, in the
eastern highlands of Afghanistan, on 4 March 2002. On this date, during
his helicopter insertion for a reconnaissance and time sensitive
targeting close air support mission, Sergeant Chapman's aircraft came
under heavy machine gun fire and received a direct hit from a rocket
propelled grenade which caused a United States Navy sea-air-land team
member to fall from the aircraft. Though heavily damaged, the aircraft
egressed the area and made an emergency landing seven kilometers away.
Once on the ground Sergeant Chapman established communication with an
AC-130 gunship to insure the area was secure while providing close air
support coverage for the entire team. He then directed the gunship to
begin the search for the missing team member. He requested, coordinated,
and controlled the helicopter that extracted the stranded team and
aircrew members. These actions limited the exposure of the aircrew and
team to hostile fire. Without regard for his own life Sergeant Chapman
volunteered to rescue his missing team member from an enemy strong hold.
Shortly after insertion, the team made contact with the enemy. Sergeant
Chapman engaged and killed two enemy personnel. He continued to advance
reaching the enemy position then engaged a second enemy position, a
dug-in machine gun nest. At this time the rescue team came under
effective enemy fire from three directions. From close range he
exchanged fire with the enemy from minimum personal cover until he
succumbed to multiple wounds. His engagement and destruction of the
first enemy position and advancement on the second position enabled his
team to move to cover and break enemy contact. In his own words, his
Navy sea-air-land team leader credits Sergeant Chapman unequivocally
with saving the lives of the entire rescue team. Through his
extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, aggressiveness in the face of
the enemy, and the dedication to the service of his country, Sergeant
Chapman reflects the highest credit upon himself and the United States
Air Force.
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