On Thursday, June 18, 2026, President Donald J. Trump is set to present the Medal of Honor to Major James Capers, Jr., U.S. Marine Corps (Retired), Colonel John W. Ripley, U.S. Marine Corps (Posthumous), and Major Nicholas Dockery, U.S. Army (Retired).
James Capers, Jr., who served as a Second Lieutenant, will be honored for his extraordinary bravery as a Team Leader with the 3d Force Reconnaissance Company, 3d Reconnaissance Battalion in Vietnam, from March 31 to April 3, 1967. During a four-day mission to locate a North Vietnamese regimental base camp, Capers and his team encountered a significantly larger enemy force on three occasions. Despite this, he persisted, successfully directing fire onto an enemy base, thereby preventing an imminent attack on a nearby Marine battalion. On the last day, his patrol was ambushed by a claymore mine, resulting in severe injuries to Capers from intense enemy fire. Despite his critical condition, he continued to lead and coordinate his team’s movements to an extraction site. He refused evacuation until all his men were safely extracted, only boarding the helicopter last.
Captain John W. Ripley will be awarded the Medal of Honor posthumously for his heroic actions on April 2, 1972, while serving as Senior Marine Advisor to the Third Vietnamese Marine Corps Infantry Battalion in Vietnam. Ripley played a crucial role in stopping a major North Vietnamese mechanized assault. He single-handedly placed 500 pounds of explosives under a bridge in Dong Ha, essential for the enemy’s advance. For three hours, he exposed himself to enemy fire while positioning the charges along the bridge’s steel beams. He successfully detonated the explosives, destroying the bridge and halting the enemy’s progress.
Second Lieutenant Nicholas Dockery will receive the Medal of Honor for his gallant actions on October 2, 2012, in Afghanistan’s Kapisa Province. While serving as a Platoon Leader with the 2d Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division, Dockery’s platoon was ambushed by a well-armed Taliban force. Over four hours, he maintained engagement with the enemy in confined urban terrain, risking his life repeatedly to protect and evacuate three wounded platoon members. After regrouping, Dockery directed air support from an exposed rooftop, enabling the evacuation of the injured soldiers amid ongoing enemy attacks.
Additional Information about the Medal of Honor:
The Medal of Honor is bestowed upon military personnel who demonstrate remarkable courage and selflessness, risking their lives beyond the call of duty while:
- engaging in combat against an enemy of the United States;
- participating in military operations against a foreign opposing force; or
- serving alongside allied forces in an armed conflict against an opposing force where the U.S. is not a belligerent.
