Mayor Sammy Phillips proclaims Aug. 4 as Major James Capers Jr. Day in Jacksonville

Mayor Sammy Phillips proclaimed Aug. 4, 2026, as Major James Capers Jr. Day in Jacksonville during a brief City Hall ceremony, presenting a proclamation that summarized Capers's military service and recent national honors. "I, Sammy Phillips, the mayor of the City of Jacksonville, do hereby proudly proclaim Tuesday, Aug. 4, 2026, as Major James Capers Jr., U.S. Marine Corps (ret.), Day in the City of Jacksonville," Phillips said as he read the proclamation.

The proclamation, read aloud by Phillips, said James Capers Jr. was born Aug. 25, 1937, in South Carolina and later moved to Baltimore, where he enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps. It states he was selected for Team Broadminded, an elite reconnaissance unit, participated in 64 long‑range reconnaissance patrols across five campaigns in Vietnam, and became the first African American to lead a Marine reconnaissance company and to receive a battlefield commission. The document recounts an April 1967 ambush in which Capers, despite multiple severe injuries, halted an enemy advance and coordinated his team's extraction; it notes he received a Bronze Star that was later upgraded to a Silver Star. The proclamation also records that on June 18, 2026, President Donald J. Trump awarded Capers the Medal of Honor and that on June 19, 2026, he was inducted into the Pentagon Hall of Heroes. Phillips called on residents to commemorate Capers's contributions and sacrifices.