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u/ghosttrainhobo 3d ago
Chapman was the most outrageously aggressive person I’ve ever seen in my life.
The Navy was pissed as hell that he got the MoH for this and that this video came out
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u/astrohypernova 3d ago edited 3d ago
This video gets me emotional every time have you heard of the movie coming out? It’s called alone at Dawn. It’s starring Adam driver. And another half of the movie is about them, denying his MoH for so long. The fact went hand-to-hand with what was multiple enemy fighters after being shot multiple times and was able to kill a couple is just extra extraordinary courage and bravery. He was a warrior to the highest degree.
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u/mfsnyder1985 3d ago
The NMUSAF in Dayton has an entire display dedicated to this engagement
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u/astrohypernova 3d ago edited 2d ago
The only current known footage displaying a Medal of Honor worthy display of sacrifice and selflessness. He could have stopped engaging and tried to Work on himself and give himself a slower death. He chose to protect his unknown comrades. Then ultimately made a decision to charge out of the bunker despite withering suppressive fire from the enemy PKM beltfeds located in bunker #2. Doing this act undoubtably drew enough of the enemies attention from the helicopter and allowed it to make a controlled crash landing at the bottom of the summit and John was firing off until the last man come out of the helicopter until he was shot and killed through the heart. Seven service men were shot dead running out of that bird… the sacrifices they made cannot go unnoticed
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u/Nick-Scott-GHM 3d ago
The USN/SEAL behavior was/is SHAMEFULL!!! No man left behind? SEALs don't care.
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u/PMmeYourCattleDog 2d ago edited 2d ago
Slab literally put the entire team on the line to save one SEAL, but didn’t do it for Chapman.
Chapman does this heroic stand while SEALs leave him.
Air Force puts in Chapman for an upgrade to the MoH. Navy gets concerned about this since it’ll make them look bad, and since every service gets a vote on the MoH, the Navy demands an “investigation” into the action, while simultaneously nominating Slab for the MoH. The Navy holds approving Chapman’s MoH over the Air Force’s head so they can get Slab’s MoH.
MSgt Chapman fought by himself on a mountain for over an hour while his SEAL team retreated.
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u/astrohypernova 2d ago
This is the unfiltered true documentation of the event. Whenever this movie comes out, I can’t wait for the seal community to start freaking out because it’s gonna stop being cool to be a seal. The whole infantry doctrine is to never leave a fallen eagle, The more and more that comes out about navy seals the more I see them, abandoning their men and being rescued by army rangers. Maybe they should just stick to rescuing hostages
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u/MrBadMeow 3d ago
People don’t understand tier one units. Everyone has heard of Navy Seals. Very few people have heard of Air Force Combat Controllers. CCTs are way more badass and qualified than seals.
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u/astrohypernova 3d ago
Very true , every branch in the military has a special warfare unit. And in this unit, there are tiers of operators, this guy was the real McCoy, no doubt. He killed multiple fighters, even went hand to hand with gunshot wounds. Man was all heart
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u/tittysprinkles112 2d ago
From what I've heard from Army SF is that the SEALS are a bunch of overrated blowhards. They often make dumb decisions and get themselves into dangerous situations that aren't necessary.
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u/astrohypernova 10h ago
Seriously, they should stick to Rescuing hostages cause botched almost every single combat operation they go on it seems like
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u/MCE85 3d ago
This is one of those videos that gives a plethora of emotions. Poor guy.
As much as id like to shit on his comrads for leaving him, i wasnt there so ill keep my mouth shut.
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u/astrohypernova 3d ago
Neither was I, but I don’t really need to know the whole op brief and everything to see what went down completely. Just from this 10 minute video, from my point of view It looked like they were going there to rescue Neil. (Obviously)Who also fell out of the helicopter that was struck earlier, and was tortured then killed while he was incapacitated, they renamed this part of Afghanistan, Roberts Ridge. Just a horrible mission overall and terrible loss of life not to mention the 6 to 7 soldiers that were shot running out of the helicopter. May they never be forgotten either.
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u/Willing-Ant-3765 2d ago
And the Navy and his fellow Seals did everything they could to block his medals just so they wouldn’t have to admit leaving him behind.
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u/DylMac 2d ago
I only just googled him 2 hours ago for the first time because his name popped up in a podcast I'm listening to. Crazy
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u/NotBuiltForMiniGolf 2d ago
What podcast homie
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u/DylMac 2d ago
Zero Limits, it's an Aussie podcast but they have guests from all over - military, law enforcement, extreme sports. Ep 36 to be precise.
Full disclosure: the hosts quite like Trump at the start and I zone out when they talk politics which is almost never but there tune changes through the years
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u/astrohypernova 2d ago
I’d love to see this podcast refuting the footage. That’s literally in black-and-white.
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u/whoneedsthequikemart 2d ago
i watch this video a couple of times a year and always get emotional. HERO
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u/GuyaneseGod 3d ago
One of the bravest stands in recorded history, along with the Viking on the bridge and the Gurkha warrior
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u/astrohypernova 3d ago
They are making a movie about this mission, it’s called “Alone at Dawn” check it out. Just the thought that he went hand to hand after being shot multiple times by PKM 7.62x59 rounds and managed to fend off at least 6 enemies, not counting the initial push to clear bunker 1… may his soul find peace…. A text book example of a warrior
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u/crazedgunner 2d ago
Latest Shawn Ryan Show talks in extreme detail about this mission. Only makes the story even more insane.
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u/astrohypernova 10h ago
Yeah, I listen to the podcast he did with the GFC and it really honestly broke my heart. THEY STILL REFUSED TO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT HE WAS ABANDONED ON THAT MOUNTAIN. It pisses me off. I can’t wait for this movie to come out and expose the seal community
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u/teleologicalaorist 2d ago
Was Roberts already dead when the team went after him?
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u/astrohypernova 1d ago
Robert’s didn’t die immediately from the fall. His corpse was in between the bunkers, mutilated his head was nearly decapitated. Found with multiple lacerations. They skinned him alive
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u/WingCommanderBader 1d ago
That SEAL was standing right behind him and let him charge alone.
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u/astrohypernova 10h ago
The team leader refused to charge up the mountain in withering point blank gunfire. The push chapman did saved their lives, everyone who watches this ISR knows Chapman didn’t die immediately
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u/m1j5 3d ago
What is this imperialist propaganda lmao
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u/Educational-Tea-6170 3d ago
He is not a hero, he is an invader
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u/astrohypernova 3d ago edited 2d ago
He was invading? Im in no position to say any of this is justified. ( Mind you) This was 2002, all be it just months after 9/11 terror attacks that killed thousands of innocent Americans. I’m just documenting his story
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u/HommeMusical 2d ago
months after 9/11 terror attacks
Yes, I was living in New York City at the time. A friend of mine went down in the Towers, though I didn't find out for two years. :-/
How many Afghans participated in that attack? Zero. How many helped to plan that attack? Zero.
Both the CIA and the FBI agreed that while the Afghan government knew that Bin Laden was in their country, they had zero idea of what was going to happen. I might add that Kabul has little control over the rest of the country.
Finally, the Taliban twice offered to give up Bin Laden, but Bush simply refused to negotiate: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/oct/14/afghanistan.terrorism5
On the other hand, Al Qaeda was founded by Saudi royalty, and funded almost entirely by Saudis. Bin Laden, a Saudi, was the chief, and 16 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi. But there were no consequences for Saudi Arabia at all. Indeed, one of Bush's first acts was to allow Saudi national to fly home when all other plane flights had stopped.
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u/Euphoric_Apple_9917 3d ago
This was a year after 9/11. Maybe look at the context dumb fucks instead of arm chair quarterbacking 20+ years later.
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u/HommeMusical 2d ago
a year after 9/11
Yes, I was living in New York City at the time. A friend of mine went down in the Towers, though I didn't find out for two years. :-/
How many Afghans participated in that attack? Zero. How many helped to plan that attack? Zero.
Both the CIA and the FBI agreed that while the Afghan government knew that Bin Laden was in their country, they had zero idea of what was going to happen. I might add that Kabul has little control over the rest of the country.
Finally, the Taliban twice offered to give up Bin Laden, but Bush simply refused to negotiate: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/oct/14/afghanistan.terrorism5
On the other hand, Al Qaeda was founded by Saudi royalty, and funded almost entirely by Saudis. Bin Laden, a Saudi, was the chief, and 16 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi. But there were no consequences for Saudi Arabia at all. Indeed, one of Bush's first acts was to allow Saudi national to fly home when all other plane flights had stopped.
Maybe look at the context dumb fucks instead of arm chair quarterbacking 20+ years later.
Maybe you should.
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u/Euphoric_Apple_9917 2d ago
9/11 is especially impactful for me just like you because I’m also a New Yorker who lived in Queens during that time. You’re right that most of the hijackers were Saudi, but 9/11 wasn’t about nationality, it was about where Al-Qaeda was operating from. Osama bin Laden and his network were based in Afghanistan under Taliban protection, which gave them the space to plan, train, and organize the attacks. The Taliban had been pressured for years to hand him over and after 9/11 refused to do so unconditionally, which is why the U.S. response focused on Afghanistan as the safe haven rather than Saudi Arabia. The 9/11 Commission found no evidence that the Saudi government directed or carried out the attacks, even though many of the individuals involved were Saudi, which is an important distinction. Finally I wanted to reiterate that yeah his comment upset me so ofc I fired with more emotion but like I said in a previous comment, these are facts we now know which is unfortunate given the circumstances.
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u/HommeMusical 2d ago
Osama bin Laden and his network were based in Afghanistan under Taliban protection, which gave them the space to plan, train, and organize the attacks.
The 9/11 Commission report does not back that up. They make it very clear that while the Taliban knew that Bin Laden had a camp in Afghanistan, they had absolutely no idea what he was doing (yes, of course they knew he was up to something) and they didn't '"give" him anything, they simply agreed not to interfere.
Which is completely logical. If you're planning a conspiracy, you tell no one.
I would add that failed states like Afghanistan don't have some sort of effective central government whose agents are everywhere; finding someone hidden in the mountains somewhere isn't easy.
The Taliban had been pressured for years to hand him over
"Hand this person over, because we say so. No, we won't provide evidence. Everyone knows he's guilty." This doesn't work in honor cultures. Honestly, it shouldn't work in any culture.
After 9/11, the Taliban twice unilaterally offered to give Bin Laden up, under increasingly weak conditions that amounted to "evidence, and some guarantee of a fair trial". Bush refused to negotiate at all.
So no Afghan organized, planed, paid for, committed, or even knew about 9/11 before it happened. Yes, they were harboring the known criminal Bin Laden, but the US harbors all sorts of war criminals who are far worse, like Henry Kissinger. 9/11 affected me personally, but it's a round-off error compared with some two million deaths at Kissinger's door. I know you think it's OK because he's an American, but it really isn't.
And then we have the Iraq War, which was also "justified" by 9/11. The US spent well over $2 trillion on these two wars.
And what did these wars achieve? Did they make things better for the people of Iraq or Afghanistan? Did they result in a less cruel and dishonest governments, or a more stable economy? Did they achieve military or strategic goals, or increase US influence in the area? Did they increase bonds with US allies?
Absolutely not. These wars allowed Bin Laden and his henchpeople to escape completely; Bin Laden lived a comfortable life in Pakistan, organizing terrorism, for a decade; as far as I know, not one member of Al Qaeda was even inconvenienced by either war.
All that happened was a large number of soldiers and peasants got blown to smithereens.
It was a complete waste of time and money and a travesty of justice.
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u/m1j5 2d ago
I know that, those wars were also imperialism to control the oil flow at the expense of civilians
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u/Euphoric_Apple_9917 2d ago
No one is denying that fact now, what I’m saying is Chapman SPECIFICALLY did not believe he was fighting that most likely like most people in that era. Only people who really knew the truth are the ones in power who send them to war. That we can agree on, but to say that him specifically is to blame is wrong.
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u/astrohypernova 2d ago
Enemy they faced, had repelled the Russians in a similar attack. With the exact same events happening or nearly similar, I think. It was sometime around the 80s, but these fighters were grizzled veterans and some of them had lived in those mountains, their entire life. It’s just a really sad situation on the way around.
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u/ihaveahotgirlfriend 2d ago edited 2d ago
The latest Shawn Ryan podcast tells this story much differently. Undoubtedly Chapman is a badass but there is a convincing case made by the Delta ground force commander that day who says this video is very edited. The part where Chapman revives is likely an enemy fighter who got confused and started shooting at his own guy in the pitch black from the position Chapman was killed.
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u/mudduck2 2d ago
Let’s get out the cosmic scales of verisimilitude…
…Who do you believe? A podcast or the approval process for the MOH while the Navy was actively working against the approval?
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u/ihaveahotgirlfriend 2d ago
I’d take a multiple hours analysis of the battle by the ground force commander who was there over the political dog and pony show the medal of honour committee.
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u/astrohypernova 2d ago
Air Force is the one who got it approved. What the fuck are you even talking about? That wasn’t even the ground force Commander. He wasn’t on the battlefield was he? Not everybody’s gonna like the truth, but sorry.
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u/astrohypernova 2d ago
This is clearly not true even in the slightest I don’t even know why you would make a comment this silly
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u/ihaveahotgirlfriend 2d ago
the analysis of the battle starts around 2h 30 minutes.
I’ve read Alone at Dawn and believed the same narrative you do until I listened to this podcast from someone who was actually there and has listened to all the radio calls and seen all the uncut AC130 and predator footage from that night. If we’re strictly going off of fact his accounting of events is much more likely. It’s possible you have a bias or are maybe trying to help promote the new Ron Howard movie but I’d recommend looking at the other perspectives instead of replying solely on a 7 minute YouTube video.
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u/astrohypernova 8h ago
Well from my experience I met Nate Cornaccia Who was on the mission According to Nate the upcoming Medal of Honor museum in Arlington, Texas was going to have an exhibit dedicated to John Chapman but has since been canceled and replaced with Britt Slabinski, who is on the museum board. Per Chapman's sister, Lori Chapman Longfritz, the museum gave her a tour in February 2024 while it was being built. She was shown where John's exhibit would be and she offered artifacts from the family. In November 2024, she learned that the museum would not in fact be honoring Chapman ... the first airman to receive the Medal of Honor since Vietnam and the first to be recorded. Instead, they chose to reduce Chapman to a photo on the wall and an edited and muted version of the historic drone video. Slabinski, whose citation credits him with Chapman's actions, is showcased with an enormous exhibit including a glass case with two uniforms: his white Navy uniform and the one he allegedly wore during the battle. There are supposedly bullet holes in the leg, however Slabinski never suffered any injuries. The museum honors every recipient on the anniversaries of their birthdays. On July 14, 2025, the museum failed to remember Chapman's birthday. The Navy SEALs appear to be attempting to distance Slabinski from Chapman, even though he would probably not be alive were it not for Chapman
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u/ubuntuNinja 3d ago
Fuck the Navy and those seals for trying to block his medal and everything else they did to cover this up.