TSgt John A. Chapman

Note: Originally from February, 2005, this tribute to a hero of Operation ENDURING FREEDOM is being presented as part of Mudville's Memorial Day weekend, 2006.

The Navy has announced it will name a ship for Air Force Technical Sergeant (E6) John A. Chapman.

TSgt Chapman was working special ops in Afghanistan, where on March 04, 2002 during a flight over mountainous terrain the helicopter his team was in came under fire and Navy SEAL Neil Roberts fell out.

Supposedly...as the helo was on final, it came under fire. An air-crewman fell off the back ramp and was dangling by his tether. Neil reached down to pull him back in. An RPG hit the nose of the helo (didn't explode) and the pilot subsequently made an evasive maneuver. Neil tumbled out (the air-crewman may have also mistakenly pulled Neil out while Neil was trying to recover him or that may have not even of happened - doesn't matter - bottom line, Neil fell from about 10ft and was on the ground alone). It is unclear as to whether or not the guys on board the helo knew that they lost a man. Helo peeled away, developed hydraulic problems, and crash-landed about a click away.

Neil turns on his beacon and low crawls to a position under fire. Neil takes the offensive, firing and maneuvering against the enemy and allegedly storms a machine-gun nest. Neil was shot several times, but continued the fight. Apparently, the video shows the mortal wound and Neil falls to the ground (an hour after he fell from the helo). He had expended all of his ammo, both primary and secondary, as well as his grenades. The video has Neil point shooting with his pistol at very close ranges to the enemy. He was dead by the time the enemy arrived and dragged him off. Not sure on whether they intended to use Neil's body as a decoy for an ambush or as a bargaining chip or for another Somalia street dragging episode.

Meanwhile, the heavily damaged aircraft egressed the area and made an emergency landing. TSgt Chapman contacted an AC-130 gunship to provide close-air support and a helo to extract the team and aircrew members, then volunteered to rescue Roberts from the enemy. On insertion his team made immediate contact with the enemy.

The remainder of the story is best told in the citation accompanying the award of Chapman's Air Force Cross. A Service Cross is the military's second highest medal for valor in combat, surpassed only by the Medal of Honor. Since its creation in 1960, the Air Force Cross has been awarded to only 23 enlisted airmen. Chapman became the third person since the end of the Vietnam War to receive the award.

Citation for award of the Air Force Cross to John A. Chapman

The President of the United States of America, authorized by Title 10, Section 8742, U.S.C., awards the Air Force Cross to Tech. Sgt. John A. Chapman for extraordinary heroism in military operations 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, Sgt. 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 Sgt. 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 Sgt. Chapman volunteered to rescue his missing team member from an enemy stronghold. Shortly after insertion, the team made contact with the enemy. Sgt. 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, Sgt. Chapman 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 enemy position enabled his team to move to cover and break enemy contact. In his own words, his Navy sea-air-land team leader credits Sgt. 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, Sgt. Chapman reflects the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force.

More details on the ship from the Fayetteville Observer:

The cargo ship that will become the Chapman is currently named the MV Merlin and has been operating in the Mediterranean. The ship is one of seven container and roll-on/roll-off ships. The ships are used to preposition munitions in the Mediterranean, the island of Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocena and Saipan in the western Pacific. These ships are loaded with military equipment and supplies needed for a war or other operations. The ships are positioned in key ocean areas to be able to provide equipment, fuel, and supplies around the world on short notice.

The 670-foot logistics ship joines several named in memory of special operations veterans with ties to Fort Bragg and Pope Air Force Base.

The USNS Shughart and USNS Gordon are large, medium-speed roll-on/roll-off ship named in honor of Sgt. 1st Class Randall D. Shughart and Gary I. Gordon, Delta Force soldiers who posthumously received the Medal of Honor for their actions in the battle of Mogadishu in 1993.

The USNS Benavidez is a large, medium-speed roll-on/ roll-off ship named in honor of Master Sgt. Roy P. Benavidez, a 5th Special Forces Group soldier who received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Vietnam War in 1968.

And the USNS Sisler is a large, medium-speed roll-on/roll-off ship named for 1st Lt. George K. Sisler, another 5th Special Forces Group soldier who posthumously received the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War for his actions in 1967.

Lots more links with details of the story here. As the PJ site says,

...the Pentagon called it "Operation Anaconda." The press have also referred to it as the battle at Shah-i-Kot Mountain. But the men who fought there, call it the battle on Robert's Ridge.

Many of the details of this battle are still classified. We do know that Combat Controller John Chapman and Pararescueman Jason Cunningham were killed in action. The SAR objective was USN SEAL Neil Roberts, who was left on the ground on during a team insertion by a CH-46 on 4 March 2002.

Below is information obtained from multiple unclassified sources. Also on the ground during the battle was Combat Controller Gabe Brown and Pararescueman Kerry Miller. They also fought bravely and provided close air support and emergency medical care to many wounded until the casualties were medevaced out.

I suggest that you read the below articles in the order they are listed. Doing so may allow you to extrapolate what John and Jason were doing when they were killed. The PJs who have access to all the classified documents tell me that if anything, the unclassified information understates the heroism of John Chapman and Jason Cunningham. Both these men died "So That Others May Live."

Neil Robert's body was recovered, as were the others, and all were evacuated.

The ridge is now called Roberts Ridge.

(Originally posted 2005-02-25 20:06:02)