Trump to award Medal of Honor to late Air Force sergeant

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump will award the Medal of Honor to an Air Force sergeant credited with saving the lives of service members on a mountain in Afghanistan in 2002.

Trump will present the award posthumously to the family of Technical Sergeant John A. Chapman, a native of Windsor Locks, Connecticut.

Chapman’s helicopter came under heavy fire and crash landed in a valley. Chapman and other team members returned to the snow-capped mountain to rescue a stranded service member.

The White House says Chapman “charged into enemy fire through harrowing conditions,” seized a bunker and killed its occupants. In an ensuing firefight, he was severely wounded but continued to fight until he was killed.

The award is given to those who risk their lives and go above and beyond the call of duty.