Chapman receiving the nation’s highest honor will mark the end of a long road for his family, beginning with the devastating news of his death in 2002, and followed by lingering questions around what really happened on the mountain that have emerged in the years since.
“16 years later and people are still talking about him and asking about him,” his sister Lori said. “And that, to a family member, means more than anyone can imagine.”
The sergeant’s family was initially told he was killed when his helicopter crashed following the initial assault of Takur Ghar, The Hartford Courant reported. His mother was told that he died instantly.
Later, news came that Chapman was indeed on the mountain peak, where he shot and killed a number of fighters before he succumbed to his wounds. But the spot where he was left for dead by the SEALs, according to a survey of the site afterward, was not where his body was later found.
And as drone footage later reviewed by the Air Force showed, Chapman, alone and surrounded, kept fighting back for more than an hour.
Taskandpurpose.com posted about Chappy being given the Medal of Honor posthumously by the White House later this year. If you do not know the bravery of Chappy please take a few minutes and read the article.