Chapman's body was recovered later in the day after the AC-130 cleaned up the Taliban. The Gunship was called in by TSgt Chapman. Don't blame the SEALs, they performed honorably in a terrible situation.
Chapman's body was recovered later in the day after the AC-130 cleaned up the Taliban. The Gunship was called in by TSgt Chapman. Don't blame the SEALs, they performed honorably in a terrible situation.
+1. Bad intel and the $hit was deep and fast.
Indeed, the SEAL leader had to make a tough call in a difficult situation; TSgt Chapman was wounded and lost consciousness. He was checked for a pulse and they couldn’t detect one, so the SEALs determined he had died from his wounds. So, they made the difficult decision to leave Chapman’s body behind as they withdrew from the area.
Now, we learn that UAV video showed Chapman crawl to a nearby bunker where he fought off two Taliban fighters (killing at least one) before succumbing to his wounds.
I cannot fault the SEAL leader. My only question is this: what sort of comms existed that day between SOF elements on the ground and intel teams at the Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) facility that was supporting the mission. As DCGS has evolved, so have the comms, so troops on the ground can talk to the spooks (who are typically thousands of miles away) and see the UAV feed on a laptop.
These days, on a mission of that type, the intel analysts would have instantly alerted the SOF commander that a friendly had crawled into cover and was fighting alone. However, I cannot say with any certainty that the same comm capabilities existed when John Chapman made his courageous, last stand.
Indeed, the SEAL leader had to make a tough call in a difficult situation; TSgt Chapman was wounded and lost consciousness. He was checked for a pulse and they couldn’t detect one, so the SEALs determined he had died from his wounds. So, they made the difficult decision to leave Chapman’s body behind as they withdrew from the area.
Now, we learn that UAV video showed Chapman crawl to a nearby bunker where he fought off two Taliban fighters (killing at least one) before succumbing to his wounds.
I cannot fault the SEAL leader. My only question is this: what sort of comms existed that day between SOF elements on the ground and intel teams at the Distributed Common Ground System (DCGS) facility that was supporting the mission. As DCGS has evolved, so have the comms, so troops on the ground can talk to the spooks (who are typically thousands of miles away) and see the UAV feed on a laptop.
These days, on a mission of that type, the intel analysts would have instantly alerted the SOF commander that a friendly had crawled into cover and was fighting alone. However, I cannot say with any certainty that the same comm capabilities existed when John Chapman made his courageous, last stand.