With 2022 being the 20th Anniversary of the Battle of Takur Ghar, the Combat Control Foundation, in collaboration with the Chapman family and the Air Force Academy will be honoring Medal of Honor recipient, Master Sergeant John A. Chapman (MSgt Chapman) throughout this year’s 20th anniversary Lockheed Martin Armed Forces Bowl.
Starting on Wednesday, December 21st, retired U.S. Air Force Combat Controller, Chief Master Sergeant Michael West will meet with the Air Force Academy’s Fighting Falcons football team to deliver a motivational speech centered around his friend and comrade, MSgt Chapman. West will emphasize to the team that the Air Force’s leading core value “Service Before Self” is not only for our warrior airmen, but that each member of the Air Force plays an important role in the achievement of the mission.
On Thursday, December 22nd, when the Falcons take the field, on the back of their helmets you will see the symbol for the Air Force’s Combat Control Teams, an elite special operations force who provide all aspects of combat air-ground communication. It is the team’s tribute to the selfless acts of MSgt Chapman on Roberts Ridge, Afghanistan, that ultimately earned him the military’s highest honor. During the 4th quarter, retired Brigadier General Dale E. Stovall (BG Stovall) will be awarded the 2022 MSgt John A. Chapman “Service Before Self” award. The award is presented to individuals that embody this leading Air Force ethos.
BG Stovall is a 1967 Air Force Academy graduate and an Air Force Cross recipient. In Southeast Asia in June of 1972, as an Aircraft Commander of a HH-53C rescue helicopter then Captain Stovall, voluntarily and at great risk to his own life, repeatedly penetrated an extremely hostile and heavily defended area to affect the rescue of a downed American airman. The first attempt to rescue the airman was hindered by numerous hostile aircraft and missiles being directed at the rescue force. Determined to save this airman, he willingly returned to this high threat area, braving intense ground fire, to recover the downed airman from deep in North Vietnam. It was these acts of gallantry by Stovall that earned him this year’s prestigious “Service Before Self” award.
About Combat Control Foundation - EIN: 83-3980682
Combat Control Foundation is a 501(c) (3) non-profit charity that provides programs of support to all eras of our nation’s Combat Controllers, their families and other members of the military special operations community. The Combat Control Foundation’s programs focus on providing care and support through its four pillars: Resilience, Health, Education and Heritage. For more information on Combat Control Foundation and its mission, please visit CombatControl.Team
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Company Name: Combat Control Foundation
Contact Person: Andrea Dellinger
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Country: United States
Website: CombatControl.Team
