Trump Awards Medal of Honor to Three Veterans for Heroism in Vietnam and Afghanistan

President Donald Trump presented the Medal of Honor, the military's highest decoration, to three veterans on Thursday in recognition of extraordinary acts of heroism that saved lives and repelled enemy forces across Vietnam and Afghanistan. The recipients were Marine Corps Major James Capers Jr., Army Major Nicholas Dockery, and Marine Corps Colonel John W. Ripley, who received his award posthumously. "These are great men, great people," Trump said at the ceremony. "We thank you and we will never, ever forget you."

Major Capers, 88, was honored for his leadership and selflessness during a 1967 reconnaissance mission in Vietnam that turned into days of intense jungle combat. When his team was ambushed and heavily outnumbered by North Vietnamese forces on the fourth day, a mine explosion left Capers with a broken leg and serious abdominal wounds. Despite his injuries, Capers assumed command of the firefight, called in air support to repel the attack, and ensured all wounded Marines were evacuated before boarding the rescue helicopter himself. Trump shared a personal moment with Capers during the medal presentation, gently adjusting the decoration around his neck and earning a smile from the decorated veteran.

Colonel Ripley was recognized for his extraordinary bravery in 1972 when he single-handedly placed 500 pounds of explosives across the steel beams of a bridge in Dong Ha to halt the advance of over 30,000 North Vietnamese soldiers and 200 tanks. Over five hours, Ripley made five separate trips across the bridge while exposed to enemy fire, ultimately detonating the charges and destroying the bridge to stop the enemy advance. Ripley died in 2008, and his three sons and family members attended the ceremony to receive the honor on his behalf.

Major Dockery was honored for his actions during a 2012 ambush in Afghanistan's Kapisa Province in which his platoon was attacked by approximately 150 Taliban fighters. Dockery rallied his scattered team, rescued wounded soldiers from gunfire, and killed two enemy fighters who were threatening another wounded American. He performed CPR to revive the soldier, called in mortar support while shielding the wounded man with his own body, and coordinated the evacuation of all casualties. Trump noted that Dockery was the last soldier to leave the battlefield that day, departing "a legend and a hero."