He earned two Bronze Stars, called in airstrikes under fire, and lost brothers to suicide. But his hardest fight came after the war.

Combat Controller Eric Lionheart didn’t just see combat — he lived through four-hour firefights, called in F-15s under fire, and carried the weight of survivor’s guilt when he came home alone. He opens up about the loss of his teammates, the battle to stay alive after the battlefield, and the foundation he built — First There — to save others when nothing else worked.

This is not just a story about war. It's about what happens when warriors are left to fight alone.

👉 Follow Beyond the Dispatch for raw stories that bring our heroes out of the shadows — and give them the mic.

They left him behind on a snowy mountain in Afghanistan. Then they lied about how he died.

In Part Two of our interview with Lori Chapman Longfritz, we walk through the aftermath of John Chapman’s death—and the betrayal that followed. From the night her family was notified, to the battle over his Medal of Honor, to the disgraceful way he’s been treated in the Medal of Honor Museum, this episode is Lori’s raw and unfiltered account of a truth the SEALs fought to bury.

This story isn’t over. The lies are still happening. And Lori’s not backing down.

John Chapman didn’t just earn the Medal of Honor.
He earned the truth.

John Chapman didn’t become a hero the day he died — he lived like one every day before that.

In Part 1 of our interview with Lori Chapman Longfritz, we trace John’s journey from a soft-spoken, fiercely loyal kid to one of the most lethal and respected warriors in the U.S. military. We talk about his early life, the moment he nearly washed out of CCT training, and how he clawed his way into the 24th STS before being deployed to Afghanistan after 9/11.

His final mission would push the limits of human endurance. After being shot and left for dead, John regained consciousness — and chose to stand and fight. He took out multiple enemies, engaged in hand-to-hand combat, and defended the incoming QRF team until his last breath.

🎧 Part 2 begins with the KIA notification and the family’s fight to bring the truth to light — a battle that still isn’t over.
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