Minot Air Force Base | Vol. 56 • Issue 31 | Friday, August 3, 2018
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NORTHERN SENTRY FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2018 1 FREE | WWW.NORTHERNSENTRY.COM | MINOT AIR FORCE BASE | VOL. 56 • ISSUE 31 | FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2018 U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTO | AIRMAN 1ST CLASS ALYSSA M. AKERS 2 FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2018 NORTHERN SENTRY Airman posthumously receives Medal of Honor STAFF SGT. RYAN CONROY | 24TH SPECIAL OPERATIONS WING PUBLIC AFFAIRS URLBURT FIELD, home – which was common Fla. (AFNS) -- in the combat control career HThe White House fi eld. announced July 27, 2018, “He would come home from that Air Force Tech. Sgt. a long trip and immediately John Chapman will be have on his father hat – posthumously awarded the feeding, bathing, reading Medal of Honor Aug. 22, for and getting his girls ready his extraordinary heroism for bed,” said Chief Master during the Battle of Takur Sgt. Michael West, who Ghar, Afghanistan, in March served with Chapman through 2002. Combat Control School, a According to the Medal of three-year tour in Okinawa, Honor nomination, Chapman Japan, and at Pope AFB. distinguished himself on “They were his life and he the battlefi eld through was proud of them…to the Air “conspicuous gallantry and Force he was a great hero… intrepidity,” sacrifi cing his what I saw was a great father.” life to preserve those of his The Battle of Takur Ghar teammates. In conjunction with Making it look easy Operation Anaconda in March Chapman enlisted in the Air 2002, small reconnaissance Force Sept. 27, 1985, as an teams were tasked to establish information systems operator, observation posts in strategic but felt called to be part of locations in Afghanistan, Air Force special operations. and when able, direct U.S. In 1989, he cross-trained to air power to destroy enemy become an Air Force combat targets. The mountain of controller. Takur Ghar was an ideal spot According to friends for such an observation post, COURTESY PHOTO As a combat controller, Tech. Sgt. John A. Chapman was trained and equipped for immediate deployment into and family, Chapman had with excellent visibility to key combat operations. Trained to infi ltrate in combat and austere environments, he was an experienced static line and a tendency to make the locations. military free fall jumper, and combat diver diffi cult look eff ortless, and For Chapman and his joint consistently sought new special operations teammates, returning to the top of Takur Once on the ground, the gunfi re and became critically challenges. Dating back to the mission on the night of Ghar where they had just team assessed the situation injured. his high school days, he made March 3 was to establish a taken heavy enemy fi re. and moved quickly to the high Chapman regained his the varsity soccer squad as reconnaissance position on As the team returned to ground. The most prominent faculties and continued to a freshman. Also an avid Takur Ghar and report al- Roberts’ last-known position, cover and concealment on the fi ght relentlessly despite his muscle-car enthusiast, he Qaida movement in the Sahi- now on a second MH-47, hilltop were a large rock and severe wounds. He sustained rebuilt and maintained an old Kowt area. the entrenched enemy forces tree. As they approached the a violent engagement with Pontiac GTO. “This was very high immediately engaged the tree, Chapman received fi re multiple enemy fi ghters, Combat control would profi le, no-fail job, and we approaching helicopter with from two enemy personnel for over an hour through prove to be another instance picked John,” said retired Air heavy fi re. in a fortifi ed position. He the arrival of the quick of “making it look easy.” Force Col. Ken Rodriguez, Miraculously, the helicopter, returned fi re, charged the reaction force, before paying Combat control training is Chapman’s commander at the although heavily damaged, enemy position and took out the ultimate sacrifi ce. more than two years long and time. “In a very high-caliber was able to successfully the enemy combatants within. In performance of these amongst the most rigorous in career fi eld, with the highest offl oad the remaining special Almost immediately, the remarkably heroic actions, the U.S. military. Only about quality of men – even then – operations team members team began taking machine Chapman is credited with one in ten Airmen who start John stood out as our guy.” and return to base. Chapman, gun fi re from another fortifi ed saving the lives of his the program graduate. During the initial insertion upon exiting the helicopter, enemy position only 12 meters teammates. From months of rigorous onto Afghanistan’s Takur Ghar immediately charged uphill away. Chapman deliberately The upgrade to MOH physical fi tness training mountaintop on March 4, the through the snow toward moved into the open to engage “John was always selfl ess to multiple joint schools – MH-47 “Chinook” helicopter enemy positions while the new enemy position. As he – it didn’t just emerge on including military SCUBA, carrying Chapman and the under heavy fi re from three heroically engaged the enemy, Army static-line and freefall, joint special operations directions. he was struck by a burst of Continued on page 8 air traffi c control, and combat reconnaissance team was control schools – Chapman is ambushed. A rocket propelled remembered as someone who grenade struck the helicopter could do anything put in front and bullets ripped through of him. the fuselage. The blast ripped “One remembers two types through the left side of the of students – the sharp ones Chinook, throwing Navy Petty and the really dull ones – and Offi cer 1st Class Neil Roberts Chapman was in the sharp off the ramp of the helicopter category,” said Ron Childress, onto the enemy-infested a former Combat Control mountaintop below. School instructor. The severely damaged Combat Control School aircraft was unable to return is one of the most diffi cult for Roberts, and performed a points of a combat controller’s controlled crash landing a few training program, from miles from the mountaintop. completing arduous tasks Thus began the chain of without sleeping for days, to events that led to unparalleled running miles with weighted acts of valor by numerous rucksacks and a gas mask. joint special operations forces, “During one of his fi rst days the deaths of seven at Combat Control School, I U.S. servicemen and now, noticed a slight smirk on his 16 years later, posthumous face like [the training] was too award of the Medal of Honor simple for him…and it was,” to Chapman. said Childress. Alone, against the elements Following Combat Control and separated from his School, Chapman served team with enemy personnel with the 1721st Combat closing in, Roberts was in Control Squadron at Pope Air desperate need of support. Force Base, North Carolina, The remaining joint special where he met his wife, operations team members, Valerie, in 1992. They had fully aware of his precarious two daughters, who were the situation, immediately center of Chapman’s world began planning a daring even when he was away from rescue attempt that included NORTHERN SENTRY FRIDAY, AUGUST 3, 2018 3 TEAM MINOT SHARPENS ACCIDENT RESPONSE SKILLS CONTACTUS Team Minot completed a Major Accident Response Exercise on the fl ight line July 20, 2018. During the exercise, 20 Airmen roleplayed Beth Duchsherer as casualties after a simulated aircraft crash. This exercise helps prepare emergency services for potential accidents during major events. Ad Designer | Sales Representative U.S. AIR FORCE PHOTOS | AIRMAN 1ST CLASS ALYSSA M. AKERS [email protected] or [email protected] MINOT AIR FORCE BASE PUBLIC AFFAIRS Chief of Public Affairs Maj. Natassia Cherne Public Affairs Offi cer Lt. Danielle Lucero Lt. Gabriel Cushing Superintendent Master Sgt. Jeremy Larlee Civic Outreach Mr. Gregory Boster Staff Photojournalists Tech. Sgt. Jarad Denton Tech. Sgt. Evelyn Chavez Staff Sgt. Benjamin Smith Staff Sgt. Michael Kantack Senior Airman Steven Adkins Senior Airman Jessica Weissman Senior Airman Jonathan McElderry Senior Airman Ashley Boster Airman 1st Class Alyssa Akers Airman 1st Class Dillon Audit COMMANDERS 5th Bomb Wing Commander: Col. Bradley Cochran 5th Bomb Wing Vice Commander: Col. Sloan Hollis 91st Missile Wing Commander: Col. Colin J. Connor 91st Missile Wing Vice Commander: Col. Craig Ramsey NEWSSUBMISSIONS Northern Sentry Offi ce [email protected] | 701.839.0946 MAFB Public Affairs Offi ce [email protected] 701.723.6212 MAIL&FAX 315 South Main Street, Suite 202 PO Box 2183 Minot, ND 58701 | 701.839.1867 VIEWONLINE www.northernsentry.com www.minot.af.mil FACEBOOK Minot Air Force Base - Northern Sentry. 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