OT Bonus - The First Medal of Honor Ever Recorded

[Mark in Rochester]

Medal of Honor Recipient. He was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor on August 22, 2018. Citation: Technical Sergeant John A. Chapman distinguished himself by extraordinary heroism as an Air Force Special Tactics Combat Controller, attached to a Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Team conducting reconnaissance operations in Takur Ghar, Afghanistan, on March 4, 2002. During insertion, the team’s helicopter was ambushed causing a teammate to fall into an entrenched group of enemy combatants below. Sergeant Chapman and the team voluntarily reinserted onto the snow-capped mountain, into the heart of a known enemy stronghold to rescue one of their own. Without regard for his own safety, Sergeant Chapman immediately engaged, moving in the direction of the closest enemy position despite coming under heavy fire from multiple directions. He fearlessly charged an enemy bunker, up a steep incline in thigh-deep snow and into hostile fire, directly engaging the enemy. Upon reaching the bunker, Sergeant Chapman assaulted and cleared the position, killing all enemy occupants. With complete disregard for his own life, Sergeant Chapman deliberately moved from cover only 12 meters from the enemy, and exposed himself once again to attack a second bunker, from which an emplaced machine gun was firing on his team. During this assault from an exposed position directly in the line of intense fire, Sergeant Chapman was struck and injured by enemy fire. Despite severe, mortal wounds, he continued to fight relentlessly, sustaining a violent engagement with multiple enemy personnel before making the ultimate sacrifice. 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.

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[frankderrico]

True courage, they fight for each other.

[browningautorifle]

I watched that video footage a couple time too...

[Ex Crab]

Having read the post and watched the video I think that the following quote from George Orwell is appropriate:
"People sleep peaceably in their beds at night only because rough men stand ready to do violence on their behalf."
Sgt John Chapman was one of those rough men.

[Flying10uk]

A Great American.

[frankderrico]

Another quote that fits Sgt. Chapman.

"No matter how much it hurts, how dark it gets or no matter how far you fall, you are never out of the fight."

Marcus Luttrell

[Mark in Rochester]

Another quote that fits Sgt. Chapman.

"No matter how much it hurts, how dark it gets or no matter how far you fall, you are never out of the fight."

Marcus Luttrell

“There are no great men, there are only great challenges that ordinary men are forced by circumstances to meet.”

― ADM William F. Halsey

[ssgross]

The book is on it's way.

[Bob Seijas]

I wonder why the C130 didn't hose the area? They fired the 105 but not the Vulcans?

[ssgross]

I wonder why the C130 didn't hose the area? They fired the 105 but not the Vulcans?

I'm hoping the book will fill in the gaps. It's impossible the tell from the video how/why things evolved the way they did. For one, the steep terrain reported by the narrator cannot be seen. At 35 seconds into the recording, everyone seems to regroup at the bottom of the field of view, and Chapman moves alone up the slope. Was the main group pinned down where they were? Was the terrain such that only Chapman was able to move at first? How did he come to be left behind? I'm anxious to study further.

The first Medal of Honor "recorded" threw me at first. Jacob Parrott was the first to be awarded the Medal of Honor - for a mission in April 1862 behind enemy lines in Tennessee. Jacob Parrott was from Kenton Ohio, just a few minutes away from where I grew up.