MOH for TSgt John Chapman

SMS said:

First USAF MOH since Vietnam. TSgt Chapman was a Combat Controller attached to a SEAL team during the famous battle of Robert's Ridge in 2002. He was mistakenly left for dead by the SEALs in the heat of battle, regained consciousness, and fought the enemy, alone and wounded, for over an hour before finally being killed when he attempted to provide cover fire for an arriving helicopter that had come under enemy fire. He was previously awarded a posthumous Air Force Cross but evidence that came to light after the fact led to a push for the MOH.

I'm haunted by thoughts of what his last hour of life must have been like...waking up alone, wounded, cold, and surrounded by the enemy. RIP Sarge.

https://taskandpurpose.com/john-chapman-medal-honor-afghanistan/

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druryj said:

RIP TSgt Chapman. Of course, no one knows what was going through his head during that time, but I imagine he was pissed off that the other guys just left him. He was probably also running on adrenaline, piss & vinegar, and sheer guts. If what is said and seen is true, then yeah, this warrior deserves the MOH, in my opinion. I do sort of question why a USAF Controller would be assigned to a SEAL Team. What, you think they can't use a radio or something? Admittedly, I haven't studied or read much more about this than what I read here, so maybe there is something in there that explains it. I also question and scratch my head as to the circumstances that caused the others to leave TSgt Chapman behind...

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SMS said:

USAF special operations personnel such as Combat Controllers (CCTs) and Pararescuemen (PJs) have been integrated into joint special operations teams for several decades. Combat Controllers specialize in coordinating and directing the wide range of air assets that are made available to small teams in hostile environments, and PJs are regarded as among the highest trained/capable medical and recovery assets in the U.S. military. One of the famous pictures of the "Horse Soldiers" taken in the early days in Afghanistan was actually a USAF CCT.

They are "force multipliers". The presence of a CCT member on a small team allows the rest of the unit to focus on it's primary mission while benefiting from highly accurate air support, which needs to be coordinated from the ground for maximum effect. The presence of a PJ allows those same team members to continue the fight/mission while benefiting from top notch medical care in austere environments, including field surgery, trauma treatment and stabilization and preparation for air evac/transport.

CCTs and PJs meet extremely high physical standards and attend dive school, jump school, free fall school, and extensive combat skills training etc...in short, they are more than capable of "hacking it" with the best the SEALs and Green Berets have to offer, and they've demonstrated it for a very long time. You'll never see a SEAL turn his nose up at the opportunity to have a CCT or PJ along for the ride.

Another USAF special operations Airman died in the battle of Robert's Ridge that took Chapman's life, Pararescueman Jason Cunningham. He repeatedly exposed himself to enemy fire to evacuate wounded Rangers from a disabled helicopter, treated his patients under fire, all while being critically wounded himself. He was awarded the Air Force Cross.

As far as Chappy being left behind, it was simply an unavoidable tragedy. It was night, the unit was isolated, pinned down and getting shot to sh%t. The team leader made a judgement call based on his determination that Chappy was dead (no sign of breathing and he couldn't find a pulse. In the dark, under night vision goggles, in the cold, under intense enemy small arms and RPG fire). They did not have the ability to carry him out...they were literally running/fighting for their lives on the side of a mountain. I won't judge him for it.

(There are other USAF special operations Airmen in the ground combat mix too...Combat Weather, Tactical Air Control Party specialists (TACP) etc...)

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druryj said:

RIP TSgt Chapman. Of course, no one knows what was going through his head during that time, but I imagine he was pissed off that the other guys just left him. He was probably also running on adrenaline, piss & vinegar, and sheer guts. If what is said and seen is true, then yeah, this warrior deserves the MOH, in my opinion. I do sort of question why a USAF Controller would be assigned to a SEAL Team. What, you think they can't use a radio or something? Admittedly, I haven't studied or read much more about this than what I read here, so maybe there is something in there that explains it. I also question and scratch my head as to the circumstances that caused the others to leave TSgt Chapman behind...

Read "Hill 488" by Ray Hildreth and Charles Sasser for a similar action with a different outcome. I had the pleasure of meeting and listening to Ray Hildreth at a USMC function a couple of years ago. He was one of 4 Marines able to walk off Hill 488 unassisted, of his 18-man Recon Unit (16 Marines and 2 Navy Corpsmen). The Marines were down to throwing rocks at one point and when reinforcements finally arrived, they had just a few rounds of ammo left among them. The unit leader, SSgt Jimmy Howard, received the MOH for his actions during this fight. It is said that this is the single most highly decorated unit in US History, with the 18-man unit receiving 1 MOH, 4 Navy Crosses, 13 Silver Stars, and all 18 received a Purple Heart. Several of the Marines were killed during this battle, and all were wounded, but that 18-man Recon Unit left a whole big ****-pile of dead enemy lying scattered all over that hill when all was said and done, and all of the Marines and the Corpsmen who served beside them, dead and wounded alike, came off that hill together.

Here's a link that provides a synopsis of the book, and does a decent job of trying to explain the culture and ethos of the US Marine Corps: www.hill488.com

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