Overview
- The White House announced on Thursday that President Trump will present the Medal of Honor at a June 18 ceremony to Maj. James Capers Jr., Maj. Nicholas Dockery, and the late Col. John W. Ripley.
- Col. Ripley will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for single‑handedly rigging more than 500 pounds of explosives under the Dong Ha Bridge on April 2, 1972, an act credited with stopping a major North Vietnamese armored advance.
- Maj. James Capers Jr. is being upgraded for his leadership on a four‑day reconnaissance patrol from March 31 to April 3, 1967, when he directed supporting fire, kept his team together despite severe wounds, and ensured the entire unit was extracted before he left.
- Maj. Nicholas Dockery is being honored for actions on October 2, 2012 in Kapisa Province, Afghanistan, where he shielded and evacuated wounded soldiers, killed enemy fighters who were dragging away a comrade, and marked a rooftop to direct helicopter support.
- Congressional waivers passed earlier in 2026 removed the five‑year time limit for Medal of Honor awards, allowing these rare retroactive upgrades and bringing formal recognition to the veterans and their families at the White House ceremony.