Presidential Medal of Honor Ceremony to Honor Three Veterans from Vietnam and Afghanistan

President Donald Trump will present the Medal of Honor to three distinguished service members during a White House ceremony on Thursday. Major James Capers Jr., a Vietnam War hero, Major Nicholas Dockery, recognized for his valor in Afghanistan in 2012, and the late Colonel John W. Ripley—honored posthumously through his son—will each receive the nation’s highest military award.

Major Capers, who commanded a Force Reconnaissance platoon near Phu Lac, South Vietnam, from March 31 to April 3, 1967, displayed extraordinary bravery while gravely wounded, saving all his Marines. His heroism was initially acknowledged with the Silver Star in 2010, which was later upgraded to the Medal of Honor.

Colonel Ripley distinguished himself during the 1972 Easter Offensive at the Dong Ha bridge, where he placed 500 pounds of explosives under the structure despite enemy fire, delaying a major North Vietnamese advance. His actions earned him the Navy Cross, and a diorama of the event has been on display at the U.S. Naval Academy for over three decades. Ripley later retired from the Marine Corps and served as president of Southern Virginia College and Hargrave Military Academy, directing the Marine Corps’ History and Museums Division.

Major Dockery, a West Point graduate commissioned in 2011, led a platoon in Kapisa Province, Afghanistan, on October 2, 2012. During a four‑hour urban ambush, he repeatedly exposed himself to danger to protect and evacuate three wounded soldiers, later directing helicopter support from an exposed rooftop. His Silver Star was upgraded to the Medal of Honor for this action.

Following his service in Afghanistan, Dockery qualified as a Green Beret, serving with the 7th Special Forces Group, where he earned an additional Silver Star in 2018. He retired from active duty in May.

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