UMVA has learned that President Trump will present the Medal of Honor, the highest military award, to three US heroes this afternoon during a White House ceremony.
The recipients include two Marine Corps veterans, Major James Capers Jr. and Colonel John W. Ripley, and one Army soldier, Major Nicholas Dockery. They will be honored for their extraordinary bravery and selflessness in combat.
Major Capers is being recognized for his heroism during a four-day reconnaissance patrol in Vietnam from March 31 to April 3, 1967. When his team was ambushed by a claymore mine and enemy fire, he sustained multiple severe wounds but continued to lead his team to safety, refusing to be evacuated until all his men were secure.
Colonel Ripley will be posthumously awarded for his bravery in Vietnam in 1972. He single-handedly moved 500 pounds of explosives into position to destroy a bridge, repeatedly exposing himself to intense enemy fire to emplace the charges. His actions halted the enemy's advance and saved countless lives.
Major Nicholas Dockery will be honored for his heroism in Kapisa Province, Afghanistan, on October 2, 2012. During an ambush by a large and well-armed Taliban force, Dockery led the evacuation efforts for wounded members of his platoon, personally risking his life on numerous occasions to protect and evacuate three wounded soldiers.
The White House ceremony, scheduled to begin at 4 PM ET, will be a momentous occasion to recognize the valor and sacrifice of these three remarkable individuals. Their actions embody the highest ideals of courage, duty, and service to their country.
The Medal of Honor is the nation's highest military honor, awarded to soldiers who have distinguished themselves by gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty. The recipients' stories are a testament to the bravery and selflessness that define the US military.
