John Chapman, an Airforce combat controller who was killed in action during the Battle of Takur Ghar in Afghanistan, was the first airman since the Vietnam War to receive the Medal of Honor. He also has the distinction of being the only MOH recipient to have their valorous acts recorded, by a CIA predator drone, in his case. On March 4th, 2002, Sergeant Chapman and a team of Navy SEALs took enemy fire while in a Chinook helicopter. Neil Roberts, a Navy SEAL, was thrown from the helicopter and killed. After emergency egress, the helicopter landed over 4 miles from where Roberts had landed. Chapman coordinated close air support from an AC-130 to cover the air crew and team and search for Roberts. Upon locating Roberts, Chapman and his team volunteered to rescue or recover him from an enemy stronghold.
Upon approaching the initial enemy fighting position, Chapman neutralized two enemy combatants before the team came under intense fire where Chapman sustained numerous wounds. While he was...
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