John Chapman Medal of Honor
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AIR FORCE MAGAZINE MAGAZINE AIR FORCE INSIDE: Pacific Punch p. 24 | Goldfein on Multi-Domain Ops p. 30 | Arsenal of Advertisements p. 60 John Chapman OCTOBER/NOVEMBER 2018 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER Medal of Honor For his heroism in Afghanistan, TSgt. Chapman was awarded the nation’s highest honor for valor in combat. WWW.AIRFORCEMAG.COM October/November 2018 $8 ASC_Guide_1-Full-Page_ad.indd 1 8/27/2018 2:19:16 PM October / November 2018. Vol. 102, No. 10 FEATURES 34 STAFF Publisher Larry O. Spencer Editor in Chief Adam J. Hebert Managing Editor 38 Juliette Kelsey Chagnon Editorial Director John A. Tirpak News Editor 24 Amy McCullough Assistant Managing Editor Chequita Wood 24 Bombers Watching Over 38 The Siege of Kobani 68 The Chappie James Way Senior Designer the Pacific By Rebecca Grant By Peter Grier Dashton Parham By Brian W. Everstine The city seemed doomed Excellence, determination, Pentagon Editor Andersen AFB, Guam, is until airpower came to the and grit drove his historic rise Brian W. Everstine the focal point of USAF’s rescue. to the top of the US military. Senior Editor Continuous Bomber Presence 42 USAF Leadership 74 Into Son Tay Steve Hirsch and all that goes into By Chequita Wood By John T. Correll Digital Platforms Editor supporting it. An Air Force Magazine photo The rescue operation was Gideon Grudo 30 Goldfein’s Multi-Domain chart. almost perfect—but the Production Manager POWs were gone. Eric Chang Lee Vision 56 A Golden Age at Yokota By Amy McCullough By Brian W. Everstine 78 Back to Schweinfurt Photo Editor Future success requires quick The small base near Tokyo is By Barrett Tillman Mike Tsukamoto decisions and wide-ranging quickly evolving into a one- Eighth Air Force’s second action. of-a-kind hub for the Pacific Schweinfurt raid punctuated Contributors John T. Correll, Robert S. 34 Life in Typhoon Alley region. the grim period before long- Dudney, Rebecca Grant, Peter By Jennifer Hlad range fighter escorts assisted 60 Arsenal of Democracy Grier, Jennifer Hlad, Barrett The civil engineers and the bombers. By John A. Tirpak Tillman weathermen at Kadena AB, This month, as part of our Japan, are kept busy during centenary review, Air Force Okinawa’s storm season. ADVERTISING: Magazine looks back at a Arthur Bartholomew small sample of the many, 213.596.7239 many ads we’ve carried. Tom Buttrick 917.421.9051 DEPARTMENTS James G. Elliott Co., Inc. [email protected] 2 Editorial: John Chapman 10 Forward Deployed 22 Infographic and Inspiring Leadership By Jennifer Hlad 82 Wingman: AFA SUBSCRIBE By Adam J. Hebert 12 Aperture Nominees 2018-2019 John Chapman was there for & SAVE By John A. Tirpak Candidates for national o ice his teammates, an example Subscribe to Air Force and Board of Directors that resonates in today’s Air 16 News From The Daily Magazine and save big o the Force. Report: John Chapman, 86 Verbatim cover price, plus get a free MOH; Farnborough Air Show; membership to the Air Force 4 Letters 88 Namesakes: Goodfellow B-1 Crew Awarded DFCs; and Association. 5 Index to Advertisers more ... Call 1-800-727-3337 FOLLOW US GET THE ON THE COVER John Chapman, MOH recipient. In celebration of Air Force Magazine’s facebook.com/ twitter.com/ instagram.com/ 100th year, our cover airforcemag airforcemag airforcemag also features a vintage go.afa.org/DailyReportSubscription logo from 1964. Air Force Magazine (ISSN 0730-6784) October/November 2018 (Vol. 101, No.10) is published monthly, except for two double issues in April/May and October/November, by the Air Force Association, 1501 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA 22209-1198. Phone (703) 247-5800. Periodical postage paid at Arlington, Va., and additional mailing o ices. Membership Rate: $50 per year; $35 e-Membership; $125 for three-year membership. Subscription Rate: $50 per year; $29 per year additional for postage to foreign addresses (except Canada and Mexico, which are $10 per year additional). Regular issues $8 each. USAF Almanac issue $18 each. Change of address requires four weeks’ notice. Please include mailing label. POSTMASTER: Send changes of address to Air Force Association, 1501 Lee Highway, Arlington, VA 22209-1198. Publisher assumes no responsibility for unsolicited material. Trademark registered by Air Force Association. Copyright 2018 by Air Force Association. OCTOBER/NOVEMBER ★ AIRFORCEMAG.COM Editorial By Adam J. Hebert, Editor in Chief John Chapman and Inspiring Leadership Gen. David L. Goldfein, Air Force Chief of Sta, has a large framed picture of a sergeant on his Pentagon oice wall. It is, naturally, not just any sergeant. It is John Chapman, the combat controller killed in March 2002 while fighting entrenched al Qaeda terrorists high in the mountains of Afghanistan. Nearby, in Goldfein’s oice sitting area, a propeller blade is mounted on the wall. This is the propeller from the MQ-1 Predator aircraft that flew over Chapman, “in his last hours, while he was fighting the enemy,” Goldfein told Air Force Magazine in a recent interview. Video from this Predator captured Chapman’s extraordinary heroism, which eventually led to Chapman’s Air Force Cross being upgraded to a Medal of Honor—the nation’s highest award for valor in combat. The Predator, orbiting overhead, showed Chapman repeatedly attacking enemy positions. He was hit by enemy fire and presumably knocked unconscious. Later, when he recovered enough to resume fighting, he did exactly that—again attacking enemy positions at close range. “As he fought his way to his death on that mountaintop, he did so to protect his teammates,” Goldfein said. “He did that in as A still image from a grainy Predator video shows Chapman, circled in green, during the battle on a mountainside in Chapman was there for his Afghanistan, fighting for his life and the lives of his teammates. teammates, an example that resonates in today’s Air Force. The corollary is that abusive, toxic, autocratic leaders are not going to find success in today’s Air Force. “There was a period of time in our Air Force some years ago tough an environment as one could ever imagine, and he refused where the autocratic phone slammer [was] able to survive,” to stop until the very end.” Goldfein said. “My sense is that that kind of leadership will not “When we see these young airmen like John Chapman [exhibit] survive … anymore.” extraordinary courage under the worst conditions,” it is an At the end of the day, he said, oicers and NCOs are graded inspiration to all airmen, Goldfein said. on two things: character and competence. Many airmen honored Chapman’s example resonates in today’s Air Force, which has for valor in recent wars humbly say they were just doing their been at war nonstop since 1991. Even the terror attacks of 2001 jobs, and anyone in the same situation would have done the are now 17 years in the past. Some 96 percent of today’s Air Force same thing. The right leaders rally the troops behind them and joined after 9/11, which means “the vast majority of airmen … have create a culture in which airmen will eagerly go the extra mile never actually known a day of peace,” Goldfein observed. to ensure success, whatever the mission might be. “Probably the most important thing we can do to keep “When it comes down to it, you’re looking to your left and to people in the United States Air Force … is to put in inspirational your right and saying, ‘please God, don’t let me let my buddies commanders and leaders, both oicers and NCOs,” Goldfein down,’ ” Goldfein said. explained. The wrong leaders create hostile environments and Although “only” a tech sergeant, subsequently promoted to send airmen heading for the exits. master sergeant, Chapman led by example. He did not let his “Our airmen are far too smart to walk by or not see a say/ buddies down. do gap,” Goldfein said, referencing leaders who would tell their “We may look at what John did and say he is a hero, but then subordinates one thing but behave dierently. “If they see me we are not one of his team or the other teams that go in where saying one thing and doing another they’re going to see right angels wouldn’t tread,” Chapman’s father, Gene Chapman, wrote through it.” to his son’s squadron commander after his son was killed. The Air Force recognizes the importance of leadership by “John is proud to be part of you, and if you could ask him right example at all levels—from NCOs, to squadron commanders, now, he would tell you what he did was for his family, friends, to generals—and is working now to find and develop the 21st and the teams he worked with.” century leaders it needs. The Air Force is blessed to have airmen like Chapman, those USAF asks much of its airmen and families, so “this to me is willing to put others first regardless of the circumstances. May nothing short of a moral obligation, to make sure we put the best the Air Force continue to attract and develop America’s best, leaders in place,” he said. men and women who will lead by example. J USAF Photo: 2 OCTOBER/NOVEMBER H WWW.AIRFORCEMAG.COM REDEFINING theTARGETING MISSION With world class sensors and optics, FLIR redefines the targeting mission with the key laser designator components that a targeting mission demands. 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