Vietnam War Recon Marine, James Capers Jr, to receive Medal of Honor

Nearly 60 years after he led his reconnaissance team through a harrowing ambush in South Vietnam — ignoring his numerous serious wounds — retired Maj. James Capers Jr. will finally be honored with the U.S. military’s highest award for valor on Thursday.

President Donald Trump will award Capers the Medal of Honor at Thursday’s ceremony, a White House official confirmed to Task & Purpose.

Capers’ heroism during an April 1967 ambush in South Vietnam is legendary. He led a nine-man team from 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company to a helicopter landing zone despite losing a significant amount of blood from numerous injuries, including bullet and shrapnel wounds and a broken leg.

He also refused to board the helicopter unless the aircraft’s crew also took the body of the team’s military working dog. When the helicopter struggled to take off, Capers twice tried to get out so that the aircraft would be light enough to fly.

https://taskandpurpose.com/news/james-capers-trump-medal-of-honor-2026/

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