Medal of Honor – The Highest Award
The Medal of Honor is the highest military decoration awarded by the United States. Established in 1861, it is presented by the President—in the name of Congress—to service members who distinguish themselves through gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of their lives, above and beyond the call of duty. On June 18th, 2026, in a distinguished setting, President Trump awarded the nation’s highest honor to three men. Major James Capers, Jr., U.S. Marine Corps (Retired), Colonel John W. Ripley, U.S. Marine Corps (Posthumous), and Major Nicholas Dockery, U.S. Army (Retired).
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Major James Capers, Jr.
Then-Second Lieutenant James Capers, Jr. received the Medal of Honor for acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty as a Team Leader with 3d Force Reconnaissance Company, 3d Reconnaissance Battalion in the Republic of Vietnam from March 31 to April 3, 1967. During a four-day reconnaissance patrol, he and his team were tasked with locating a North Vietnamese regimental base camp. Despite making contact with a numerically superior enemy force on three separate occasions, he tenaciously continued the mission.
He successfully directed fire onto an enemy base camp, thwarting an impending attack on a nearby Marine battalion. On the final day, his patrol was ambushed by a claymore mine and came under a dense barrage of enemy fire, where he sustained multiple severe wounds. Ignoring his injuries and extreme blood loss, he continued to lead his team, coordinate supporting fire, and direct their movement to an extraction site. Furthermore to be evacuated before all his men were safe, he ensured the entire team was extracted before finally boarding the helicopter.
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Colonel John W. Ripley
Then-Captain John W. Ripley received the Medal of Honor posthumously for acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty on April 2, 1972, while serving as Senior Marine Advisor to the Third Vietnamese Marine Corps Infantry Battalion in the Republic of Vietnam. While serving in this capacity, he played a pivotal role in halting a major North Vietnamese mechanized assault. The enemy’s rapid advance depended on the capture of a bridge in the village of Dong Ha.
To destroy the bridge, Captain Ripley single-handedly moved 500 pounds of explosives into position. For three hours, he repeatedly exposed himself to intense enemy fire as he climbed beneath the bridge along its steel beams to emplace the explosive charges at key structural points. After successfully setting the explosives, he detonated the charges, completely destroying the bridge and stopping the enemy’s advance.
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Major Nicholas Dockery
Then-Second Lieutenant Nicholas Dockery received the Medal of Honor for acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty on October 2, 2012, while serving as a Platoon Leader, 2d Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division in Kapisa Province, Afghanistan. On this day, a large and well-armed Taliban force ambushed Second Lieutenant Dockery’s platoon.
Over the course of four hours, he fought and maintained contact with the enemy in extremely restricted urban terrain. He personally risked his life on numerous occasions to protect and evacuate three wounded members of his platoon. After consolidation and reorganization, he directed rotary wing aircraft in the defense against subsequent enemy counterattacks from an exposed rooftop. Meanwhile, his unit evacuated the wounded soldiers.
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Medal of Honor Trivia
There are three distinct variants of the Medal of Honor, the highest U.S. military decoration for valor: the Army version, the Navy version (also worn by the Marine Corps and Coast Guard), and the Air Force version (also worn by the Space Force).
While all three versions are worn around the neck on a light blue ribbon with 13 white stars and are awarded for conspicuous gallantry above and beyond the call of duty, each branch’s medal has a unique centerpiece.
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For more information, visit The Congressional Medal of Honor Society.
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