President Trump awarded the nation's highest military decoration, the Medal of Honor, to three veterans on Thursday, recognizing acts of extraordinary bravery in Vietnam and Afghanistan. The ceremony at the White House featured a rare moment of presidential self-deprecation, as Trump joked about his own eligibility for the award.
Retired Marine Maj. James Capers, the first Black enlisted Marine to receive a battlefield commission, finally received the honor after a 57-year wait for his actions during a four-day reconnaissance mission in Vietnam in 1967. Trump noted the delay, telling Capers, “The nation kept you waiting far too long.”
The late Marine Col. John Ripley was posthumously honored for his 1972 heroics in Dong Ha, where he crawled under a bridge under heavy enemy fire to detonate explosives, delaying the North Vietnamese advance. His son accepted the medal on his behalf. The third recipient, an Army officer, was recognized for valor in Afghanistan.
Trump, in his remarks, said, “A 250-year tradition of the bravest and greatest heroes ever to walk the earth, but only a few have received our highest military distinction, the Congressional Medal of Honor. I wanted to give it to myself, but I was informed I couldn’t do it, and I couldn’t find anything where I was actually worthy. So here we are.”
The awards come after Congress passed legislation earlier this year to waive the typical three-year window for Medal of Honor recommendations, allowing these delayed recognitions. The ceremony also highlighted ongoing political debates, including the administration's recent Iran deal, which has drawn criticism from both Democrats and Republicans. Top Senate Democrat blasts Trump's Iran deal as 'catastrophic', while Wicker blasts Iran Strait deal, warns $300B fund undermines Trump's gains.
The event also touched on other national security issues, including the lifting of the Strait of Hormuz naval blockade after the U.S.-Iran memorandum of understanding. However, the focus remained on the three servicemen whose bravery was finally recognized. Trump to award Medal of Honor to two war heroes from Vietnam and Afghanistan had been anticipated in earlier reports.
For Capers, the long wait ended with a simple clasp of the pale blue ribbon around his neck, a moment Trump called “better” than a quicker award. “You had to wait a little while, didn’t you? Huh,” the president said, before congratulating him.
