On June 18, 2026, two Vietnam War Marines and an Army Ranger received the Medal of Honor. The ceremony took place at the White House with President Donald Trump presenting the Medals earned by Maj. James Capers, Jr., Col. John Ripley, and Maj. Nicholas Dockery.
Here’s what you need to know about these amazing Americans.
The Force Recon Legend
Born in South Carolina on Aug. 25, 1937, Capers is the Recon Marine that other Recon Marines hope to become. In Vietnam, he led over 50 long-range reconnaissance patrols with “Team Broadminded.” Never heard of them? That’s because their missions were classified until 2006. Capers was the first Black Marine to earn a battlefield commission and command a Force Recon company. During his time in Vietnam, Capers was wounded 19 times.
Also Read: ‘The Iron Major’: James Capers Jr.’s long road to the Medal of Honor
On a four-day patrol in 1967, then-Lt. Capers led his nine-man team near Phu Loc, Vietnam to locate a North Vietnamese camp. They made contact with the enemy three times on the first day, resulting in one Marine being severely wounded. Despite this, Capers led his men against the numerically superior enemy and managed to call for fire on the enemy base.
On the last day of the patrol, Capers was seriously wounded by an enemy mine and gunfire in an ambush. Despite multiple wounds, extreme blood loss, and receiving morphine, he continued to fight with his team, coordinate supporting fire, and direct them to the helicopter extraction site.
Struggling to stay conscious and barely able to stand, he continued to demand reports from his Marines throughout the firefight and ensured his entire team was evacuated before him. Capers’ original Silver Star was finally upgraded to the Medal of Honor after more than 50 years of effort.
“Ripley at The Bridge“
Where Capers’ story was classified, Col. John Ripley’s is known to every Midshipman that attends the United States Naval Academy. A Naval Academy graduate himself, Ripley’s famous combat action in Vietnam was chosen as a single act to memorialize the actions of all Annapolis grads during the war. A diorama of the action is located in Memorial Hall at the Academy.
Born in Virginia on June 29, 1939, Ripley spent one year as an enlisted Marine before receiving an appointment to the USNA by the Secretary of the Navy. He proved himself during combat in Vietnam and was wounded on his first tour. After an exchange tour with the elite British Royal Marines and Special Boat Service, he returned to Vietnam as an advisor in 1971.
Read: Marine Corps legend ‘Ripley at the Bridge’ is finally getting the Medal of Honor
During the 1972 Easter Offensive, then-Capt. Ripley received a report of a large, mechanized North Vietnamese force attacking south toward his battalion. Ripley advanced to a key river bridge that needed to be demolished to stop the enemy. In order to place the explosives under the bridge, Ripley dangled below and hand-walked along the beams.
Despite enemy fire, he went out five times to secure the explosives passed to him by another advisor before retreating and blowing up the bridge.
Ripley passed away in 2008. His son, Tom, accepted his Medal of Honor.
The Hero Platoon Leader
Wearing his Ranger tab, Special Forces, and iconic Green Beret, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Maj. Nicholas Dockery earned the Medal of Honor on a special mission taking out a high-level Taliban leader. In fact, the action that earned him the Medal of Honor (upgraded from the Silver Star) was performed during his first tour in Afghanistan as a platoon leader with 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division.
In 2012, then-Lt. Dockery and his platoon were ambushed by Taliban fighters in Kapisa Province. In the face of heavy enemy fire, Dockery continuously exposed himself to rescue wounded soldiers. When a grenade landed nearby, Dockery used his body to shield one of his men.
After one of his NCOs became unaccounted for, Dockery went searching for him and killed two enemy fighters in close quarters to save his soldier. When helicopter gunships arrived, he climbed to an exposed rooftop to direct their fire.
Three years later, Dockery made it into Special Forces and returned to Afghanistan in 2018 with ODA 744. While advising Afghan Commandos, he earned a second Silver Star for bravery under fire. He is the only commissioned Army officer to earn two Silver Stars since 9/11.
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