Trump awards posthumous Medal of Honor to late airman
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is awarding a posthumous Medal of Honor to an Air Force sergeant who died trying to save a Navy SEAL in Afghanistan.
Trump is presenting the medal to the widow of Tech. Sgt. John A. Chapman, a native of Windsor Locks, Connecticut, at the White House.
He is commending Chapman for his bravery and for having helped save more than 20 American service members.
Chapman's helicopter came under heavy fire in Afghanistan in March 2002, throwing Navy Petty Officer 1st Class Neil Roberts onto enemy-infested Takur Ghar mountain. The remaining members of Chapman's special operations team crash-landed nearby and boarded another aircraft to mount a rescue attempt for Roberts.
Chapman was critically injured by enemy fire, but continued to engage the enemy.