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President Donald J. Trump presents Congressional Medals of Honor to three servicemembers
Summary
President Donald J. Trump presented the Congressional Medal of Honor to Marine Major James Capers Jr., posthumously to Colonel John W. Ripley, and Army Major Nicholas Dockery, recounting each recipient’s battlefield actions and reading formal citations authorized by an Act of Congress.
President Donald J. Trump presented the Congressional Medal of Honor to Marine Corps Major James Capers Jr., posthumously to Marine Colonel John W. Ripley, and Army Major Nicholas Dockery at a formal ceremony, praising their battlefield courage and recounting the actions that led to the awards.
The president opened the remarks by calling service a privilege and praising the armed forces. "I have no higher privilege than serving as the commander-in-chief of the US Armed Forces," he said, adding that "only a few have received our highest military distinction, the Congressional Medal of Honor." He named the three recipients and noted the presence of senior officials and 11 former Medal of Honor recipients.
Trump recounted Major James Capers Jr.'s service in Vietnam, saying Capers received a battlefield commission after leading a nine-man force recon team, consolidating the wounded, calling close air support while badly wounded, and helping evacuate his men. The president said Capers was recommended for the Medal of Honor in 1967 but was delayed, calling the recognition "far too long" in coming.
The president described Colonel John W. Ripley's actions during the 1972 Easter offensive, saying Ripley made repeated trips under heavy enemy fire to place explosives under a bridge and detonate charges that stopped an armored advance. The award for Ripley was presented posthumously; the president thanked Ripley’s family, who were noted among those attending.
On Major Nicholas Dockery, the president recounted a 2012 ambush in eastern Afghanistan in which Dockery led rescue efforts, cleared buildings, detained enemy fighters, performed rescue care under fire and signaled for support that enabled evacuation. "Major Dockery, you were the last man to depart the battlefield that day and you left it a legend and a hero," the president said.
A military aide read the formal citations announcing each award. The citation for Nicholas Dockery referenced authorization "by act of Congress, March 3rd, 1863." The aide read that the President, "in the name of the Congress," presented the Medal of Honor to the named servicemembers.
The ceremony opened and closed with prayers led by a chaplain. The closing prayer asked for protection for the armed forces and blessing for families and the nation, and the event concluded with applause and music.
