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Washington, D.C. (August 22, 2018): President Donald Trump posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor to the family of Tech. Sgt. John A. Chapman, U.S. Air Force Special Tactics Combat Controller, during a ceremony recognizing his extraordinary heroism while deployed to Afghanistan. Tech Sgt. Chapman was recognized “for conspicuous gallantry and tepidity at the risk of life above and beyond the call of duty.”
Washington, D.C. (August 22, 2018): Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends. John 15:13It was 1 a.m. when a reconnaissance team boarded a U.S. Army helicopter bound for the 10,000-foot Mountain Takur Ghar, Afghanistan, part of a massive assault dubbed Operation Anaconda.
In what would become known as the “Battle of Roberts Ridge”, the recon team included Air Force Combat Controller Tech Sergeant John A. Chapman along with Navy SEALs whose were to establish observation posts to direct U.S. air power against enemy targets.
Unaware they were landing in an enemy stronghold, the U.S. chopper was hit with rocket propelled grenades and ground fire, causing Navy Seal Neil Roberts to fall from the helicopter into enemy hands. Heavily damaged, the Army MH-47E helicopter made an emergency landing three miles away. Tech Sgt. Chapman immediately organized a rescue effort to retrieve his friend Roberts. Another helicopter picked the team up and they returned to the mountain peak where Roberts had fallen, determined to deliver their comrade from the clutches of the enemy.
Read more: ALL GAVE SOME… SOME GAVE ALL. THE BATTLE OF TAKUR GHAR AFGHANISTAN
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Fort Campbell, KY. (September 9, 2022): In the photo by Staff Sergeant Joshua Tverberg, Private First Class Tanner Chaney, an infantryman with A Company, 1st Battalion, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), shoots an azimuth with his compass to determine a landing zone as Sergeant Brandon Quintalla, an instructor with the Sabaluski Air Assault School, supervises during training at Corregidor Drop Zone, Fort Campbell, Kentucky. These are today’s version of Screaming Eagles who fought so courageously in Afghanistan and continue to defend our nation to this day.
Fort Campbell, KY. (September 9, 2022): It’s not smart to taunt a screaming eagle. This is a lesson learned by Al-Qaeda fighters while holed up in caves under attack by elements of the 101st Airborne Division’s Screaming Eagles. While certainly not a decisive battle in America’s response to 911, it nevertheless is emblematic of the cleverness and tenacity of America’s fighting forces.
The encounter was part of a huge, allied attack dubbed Operation Anaconda involving some 2,000 troops including 1,100 American Airborne and Special Forces units in the early days after the attack on the World Trade Center. The 101st Airborne, 3rd Brigade Combat team had deployed to Afghanistan in November 2001 and by March was positioned in the mountains above the Shoh-I-Khot Valley, a major Taliban and Al Qaeda stronghold.
Read more: AFTER 911… SCREAMING EAGLES SOAR INTO AFGHANISTAN
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Sho-I-Khot Valley, Afghanistan. (October 21, 2001): In one of the most iconic photos of the Afghan War, members of the U.S. 5th Special Forces (Airborne) Green Berets ride horseback into battle with seasoned Afghan horsemen to locate and kill Taliban fighters as they threw the first punch from a righteously angry America.
As images of the towers falling in New York appeared on televisions around the world, an angry America’s demand for justice fell squarely on the U.S. Military who would soon rain hell down upon the murderous terrorists and those that harbored and supported them.
Within hours, U.S. Special Forces planners launched Task Force Dagger to strike at the very heart of the Taliban regime through very unconventional means. The famous Green Berets of the 5th Special Forces (Airborne) would be the tip of the spear by inserting into Afghanistan to link up with local war lords and resistance fighters called the Northern Alliance.
First, these special operators had to be flown into mountainous Afghanistan by the famed 160th Special Operations Regiment (Airborne), an elite group of courageous pilots who would later fly our warriors into Pakistan to kill or capture Osama Bin Laden. Flying at altitudes above 20,000 feet in blinding weather, the 160th departed from neighboring Uzbekistan over the imposing Hindu Kush Mountains to land Green Berets literally back in time. Waiting to receive them were various ethnic groups, many of whom were traditional enemies, who had been individually fighting the Taliban regime.
The 5th Special Forces’ mission was to unite, train and equip Northern Alliance fighters, despite ethnic and language barriers, with 21st century technology and tactics in the most primitive conditions. The Green Berets found themselves in a place with dirt roads, impassible mountains, and no modern modes of transportation where it was often impossible to distinguish between friend from foe.
Read more: STEPPING BACK IN TIME… AMERICAN SPECIAL FORCES UNITE WARLORDS TO FIGHT THE TALIBAN
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Pohang, South Korea. (September 1, 2022): In this photo by Marine Lance Corporal Alpha Hernandez, U.S. Marines with the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Division rappel down an obstacle as part of a joint training program with Republic of Korea (ROK) Marines. U.S. and ROK Marines are a highly lethal combination who are clearly the world’s most dangerous seaborne infantry.
Pohang, South Korea. (September 1, 2022): Among brothers, there is no language or cultural barriers… only a common desire to win.
America’s commitment to the defense of South Korea is anchored by the presence of the world’s most lethal seaborne infantry, the U.S. Marines. While the Marines motto is Semper Fidelis (always faithful), the ROK Marine philosophy is to be prepared to “fight tonight”. With over 6,000 North Korean artillery pieces trained on their capital, ROK Marines know there will be little time to respond, and that they must be ready to battle on a moments’ notice.
Although one of the poorest countries in the world, North Korea nevertheless spends nearly one quarter of its Gross Domestic Product on its military according to the U.S. State Department. Its army is large with 1.3 million on active duty, nearly 5 percent of its total population, and another 600,000 in reserves. Although many analysts believe North Korea’s military is in decline, comprised of decades old aircraft of Soviet or Chinese origin and tanks dating to the Korean conflict, their sheer numbers are a major concern.
Read more: BAND OF BROTHERS… U.S. & REPUBLIC OF KOREA MARINES TRAIN TO WIN
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Osan Air Base, S. Korea. (September 5, 2022): In this photo by Air Force Technical Sergeant Vernon Young, Jr., pilots assigned to the 36th and 25th Fighter Squadrons fly an historic all-female mission over the skies of South Korea. The formation included eight flying the A-10 Thunderbolt II, and two flying F-16 Fighting Falcons, a first in American aviation.
Osan Air Base, S. Korea. (September 5, 2022): Move over Amelia Earhart, America’s female fighter pilots now dominate the skies. By now, the fact that women routinely fly combat missions for America’s armed forces is commonly accepted. Still, the image of a formation of the world’s most lethal fighter jets, flying in formation with all-female crews remains an historic moment in U.S. military aviation.
Amelia Earhart was a pioneer who was the first female pilot to fly solo across the Atlantic in 1932. Eighty years later, female pilots are not only a common sight, but play a vital role in America’s defense. The road to parity with male pilots however, especially in the armed forces, was anything but easy.
Ironically, the world’s first female fighter pilot was not an American. The adopted daughter of Turkish President Mustafa Ataturk, Sabiha Gokcen logged over 8,000 hours flying both fighters and bomber aircraft in 32 military operations for the Turkish Air Force, all at the tender age of twenty-three. During World War I, a few female pilots volunteered, including Helene Dutrieu who joined France’s Air Patrol in 1914 making flights from Paris to track the location of German troops.
Read more: MOVE OVER AMELIA EARHART… ALL FEMALE HISTORIC FLIGHT OVER KOREAN SKIES
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Kunsan Air Base, South Korea. (September 2, 2022): In this photo by Air Force Staff Sergeant Steven Adkins, Special Tactics Airmen fast rope down from a CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft during joint training with the South Korean Air Force. Based at Kadena Air Base, Japan, these highly trained war fighters routinely deploy to assist their Republic of Korea comrades to confront North Korean aggression.
Kunsan Air Base, South Korea. (September 2, 2022): They may not be as flashy as the Navy SEALS, nor as famous as the Army’s Green Berets, but the Air Force’s Special Tactics Airmen are among the deadliest warriors in the world.
Based at the at Hurlbut Field, Florida, the 24th Special Operations Wing are routinely deployed to South Korea as part of America’s mutual defense pact. In the photo above, Special Tactics Airmen are seen training with their Republic of Korea comrades to conduct combat insertions from the air. These special forces carry out some of the most heroic, and dangerous, missions in the military. From seizing enemy airfields to mounting daring rescues of personnel in some of the world’s most remote locations, this Air Force Special Tactics Squadron is part of America’s most elite, and clandestine services.
Read more: SPECIAL TACTICS: AIR FORCE ELITE FIGHTERS TRAIN IN S. KOREA