Chapman, John Allan
Male
Verified John Allan Chapman, 36, was a Master Sergeant in the U.S. Air Force's 24th Special Tactics Squadron. He was killed in action on March 5, 2002, during a combat mission in the mountains of eastern Afghanistan.
Their Story
John Allan Chapman was a combat controller, a special tactics airman trained to direct air strikes and coordinate close air support for U.S. special operations forces. A native of Windsor Locks, Connecticut, he enlisted in the Air Force in 1985 and served with the 24th Special Tactics Squadron, based at Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina.
On March 4, 2002, Chapman was part of a joint U.S. special operations team inserted by helicopter onto Takur Ghar, a 10,000-foot mountain peak in eastern Afghanistan. The team's objective was to establish an observation post during Operation Anaconda. Their helicopter came under heavy enemy fire upon landing. In the initial engagement, one team member, Navy SEAL Petty Officer First Class Neil Roberts, fell from the helicopter. Chapman and the team returned later that night in a rescue attempt. During a prolonged firefight on the mountaintop in the early hours of March 5, Chapman was killed.
Operation Anaconda, which began in early March 2002, was a large-scale effort by U.S. and allied Afghan forces to clear the Shah-i-Kot Valley of al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters. The battle on Takur Ghar, later termed the Battle of Roberts Ridge, was one of the fiercest engagements of that operation and the early phase of Operation Enduring Freedom.
The aftermath of the battle was widely reported. Seven U.S. service members died in the fighting on Takur Ghar. Chapman's body, along with the others, was recovered after a second rescue effort involving intense close air support and reinforcements. His actions during the battle were the subject of a lengthy review by the Air Force.
In 2018, the U.S. Air Force posthumously awarded John Chapman the Medal of Honor. The citation states that he engaged multiple enemy positions, including a dug-in machine gun nest, to protect incoming rescue helicopters, actions that were confirmed through later video analysis. His name is inscribed on the Afghanistan War Memorial at the Air Force Memorial.
Explore Further
John Chapman was killed during Operation Enduring Freedom (2001?2014). The conflict concluded in December 2014. See the full roster of those killed in this conflict.
Among those documented in the same conflict: Andrews, Evander Earl, Edmunds, Jonn Joseph, Stonesifer, Kristofor Tif, Davis, Bryant Leroy.
