Medal of Honor Recipient
By Mel Montemerlo
John Chapman was born on July 14, 1965, and grew up in Windsor Locks. He went to Windsor Locks High School, where he was a stand-out sportsman in both soccer and diving. He led his school’s team to the Central Valley League championship one year, and he earned winning spots in the Interscholastic Athletic Conference in all four of his high school years (1980 through 1983). He won Class S events in 1982 and 1983, and he placed second in the State Open in 1983. In his high school yearbook, he had the words: “ Give yourself before asking of someone else”. He was known as a team player.
After high school, John attended the University of Connecticut, and was on the diving team. Following his first semester at UCONN, he returned to Windsor Locks, and got a job in an auto body shop. He found that wasn’t for him, so he joined the US Air Force.
John enlisted in the United States Air Force on September 27, 1985, and was trained as an Information Systems Operator. Chapman’s first assignment was with the 1987th Information Systems Squadron at Lowry Air Force Base, Colorado, where he served from February 1986 to June 1989. He then cross-trained into the Combat Control career field and served with the 1721st Combat Control Squadron at Pope Air Force Base, North Carolina, from August 1990 to November 1992. His next assignment was as a Special Tactics Team Member with the 320th Special Tactics Squadron at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, from November 1992 to October 1995. Chapman’s final assignment was with the 24th Special Tactics Squadron at Pope Air Force Base.
There are two important points in the above description of his training. The first is that he was well trained over a period of ten years. The second is that he switched specialties from that of an Information Systems specialist, which is a “desk job”, to that of a Combat Controller, which is very important and dangerous job that is done in the field. He wasn’t happy with the desk job and made the request to become a Combat Controller.
On March 4, 2002, Chapman was on an assignment with an elite Navy Seal Team in Afghanistan. He was killed in the battle which took place that day. Sixteen years after John Chapman’s death, the Air Force awarded John Chapman the Medal of Honor for his actions on that day. The citation for that medal tells the story of what happened that day:
“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.
On August 22, 2018, President Trump posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to John A. Chapman for his actions in the Battle of Takur Ghar during the War in Afghanistan. The medal was presented to his widow, Valerie Nessel, in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House. John’s mother, Terry Chapman, and John and Valerie’s two daughters, Brianna and Madison were at the presentation ceremony. Below is a photo that was taken right after the Medal of Honor award ceremony.
On the day after the award ceremony, Chapman was inducted into the Hall of Heroes, which is in the Pentagon. On the day after that, he was posthumously promoted to Master Sergeant. He was the first airman to receive the Medal of Honor for actions since the Vietnam War. He was the 3,503 recipient of the Medal of Honor.
In November of 2018, Smalley Brothers VFW Post 6123 of Windsor Locks hosted a gathering of John’s classmates, and memorialized him with the plaque which is pictured below.
A true American Hero
The story of John A. Chapman is a special one. He was a standout athlete in Windsor Locks High School in two sports, and he was known as a leader and a “team player”. In his Senior Yearbook, he had the words “Give of yourself before taking of others.” He lived that motto in high school and and in his life after school.
After High School, he searched for what he wanted to do. He tried college and auto mechanics before deciding on a career in the Air Force. In the Air Force, he tried the specialty of “Information Specialist”, which is primarily a desk job, but found that didn’t suit him. He switched to the “Combat Controller” specialty. Combat controllers operate in the field. John was a military man, a husband and a father to two daughters.
After the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States , John asked to serve in combat, and was assigned to Afghanistan. In the Air Force, as in high school, John was known as a hard worker, a leader, and a team player.
In his final battle, he was with an elite Navy Seal Team. Seeing that others were in serious danger, he put himself in harms way to save them, and he made the ultimate sacrifice.
John A. Chapman was a man to be liked, respected and honored. He was a true American Hero. He is a source of great pride for the town of Windsor Locks.
Sources
(Wikipedia article: “John A. Chapman”.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_A._Chapman
(“Extraordinary sacrifice: Air Force Tech. Sgt. John Chapman posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.” Air Force Times, August 22, 2018)
“John A. Chapman”, Windsor Locks Journal, Nov. 16, 2018
“Who is John Chapman?”, Newsweek, August 22, 2018.
Alone at Dawn
John Chapman’s sister Lori Chapman-Longfritz wrote a book about her brother. You can find it at
