Trump awards Medal of Honor to three veterans for battlefield heroism

President Donald Trump presented the Medal of Honor to three veterans in the White House East Room, recognizing battlefield actions that stretched from Vietnam to Afghanistan. The ceremony honored retired Marine Corps Maj. James Capers Jr., retired Army Maj. Nicholas Dockery, and Marine Corps Col. John W. Ripley, who died in 2008 and received the award posthumously.

The White House said Trump signed legislation on March 26, 2026, authorizing the medals for Capers, Dockery and Ripley. At the ceremony, Trump described the three recipients as “great men,” placing the nation’s highest military honor on service that spanned nearly half a century of American combat history.

Capers was cited for actions during a four-day reconnaissance patrol in the Republic of Vietnam from March 31 to April 3, 1967. According to the White House, he kept leading his team through repeated enemy contacts, severe wounds and heavy blood loss until every member was evacuated. The Marine Corps said Capers had originally received the Silver Star for the same action, and said he later remarked that the medal belongs to “the men who fought with him.”

Ripley’s citation covered April 2, 1972, in Dong Ha, Republic of Vietnam, where he moved 500 pounds of explosives under a bridge for three hours while under fire and then destroyed the span to slow a North Vietnamese advance. His award was presented after his death, adding another name to a small group of Americans recognized for extraordinary heroism long after their battlefield deeds.

Dockery was honored for combat on October 2, 2012, in Kapisa Province, Afghanistan. The Army said he fought for four hours against a large Taliban force and protected and evacuated three wounded members of his platoon. His citation underscored the intensity of the fighting and the effort to keep fellow soldiers alive under sustained attack.

CBS News reported that Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz and Sen. Lindsey Graham attended the ceremony. The Marine Corps said Capers and Ripley were set to be inducted into the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes on June 19, 2026, closing a week that tied together legacy, sacrifice and the military’s formal recognition of valor.