Chapman 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.
On March 4, 2002, Chapman along with members of the United States Navy SEALs took part in Operation Anaconda. A MH-47E Chinook, call-sign Razor 3 came under enemy fire, causing a Navy SEAL, PO1 Neil C. Roberts, to fall out during an insertion under fire. The helicopter landed away from where the SEAL was killed. Once on the ground, Chapman provided directions to another helicopter to pick them up. After being rescued, Chapman and the team volunteered to rescue their missing team member from the enemy stronghold. Chapman charged forward, killing two enemy soldiers and advancing towards a defensive fighting position. The team came under fire from three directions. Chapman exchanged fire from minimum personal cover and succumbed to multiple wounds. His engagement and destruction of the first enemy position and advancement to the second enabled his team to move to cover and break enemy contact. He is credited with saving the lives of the entire rescue team.
Air Force Cross upgraded to the Medal of Honor
Chapman was posthumously awarded the Air Force Cross. The citation for the award reads: Fourteen years after Chapman's death, Air Force Secretary Deborah Lee James began pushing for a Medal of Honor, the military's highest award, after new technology that allowed a deeper analysis of video of the battle suggested Chapman regained consciousness and resumed fighting Al-Qaeda members who were coming toward him from three directions. Chapman may have crawled into a bunker, shot and killed an enemy charging at him, and then killed another enemy fighter in hand-to-hand combat. Naval Special Warfare Command allegedly attempted to block Chapman's Medal of Honor, as that would result in an admission that they left Chapman behind. When it became apparent that it could not be blocked, it was further alleged that they put the commander of the operation, Britt Slabinski, up for the Medal of Honor, which he received in May 2018. Some time in March, Chapman's family was notified that his Air Force Cross was to be upgraded to the Medal of Honor. The citation accompanying his upgrade to the Medal of Honor reads as follows: The ceremony took place Wednesday 22 August 2018. Then, on 23 August 2018, Chapman was inducted into the Hall of Heroes during a ceremony at the Pentagon, which was attended by family and teammates. On 24 August 2018, John A. Chapman was posthumously promoted to the rank of Master Sergeant and his name was added to the Medal of Honor wall at the Air Force Memorial. Over 1,000 members of the Air Force community attended.
Awards and decorations
Chapman received the following awards and decorations:
Legacy
Chapman's actions in the Battle of Takur Ghar were recorded from multiple angles from circling aircraft and are reported to be the first Medal of Honor actions ever recorded on video. Dan Schilling and John Chapman's sister, Lori Chapman Longfritz, wrote a book based on Chapman's Medal of Honor action titled Alone at Dawn: Medal of Honor Recipient John Chapman and the Untold Story of the World's Deadliest Special Operations Force. It has also been optioned for a feature adaptation by Thruline Entertainment. The Military Sealift Command logistics ship MV TSgt John A. Chapman was renamed in his honor in 2005.
