Trump awards Medal of Honor to 3 veterans of the Vietnam, Afghanistan wars

President Trump presented the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest military award, to three veterans during a White House ceremony on Thursday. The recipients included two veterans of the Vietnam War and one from the Afghanistan War.

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Shrapnel peppered his body in 17 places. … Every one of his fellow Marines went down wounded, but Jim rose, pushing forward on a leg that shouldn't have been able to carry any of his weight. After a shot of morphine, Jim asserted command of the firefight.

The honorees were retired Marine Corps Maj. James Capers Jr., retired Army Maj. Nicholas Dockery, and Marine Col. John W. Ripley, who died in 2008. Among the notable attendees were Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, and Senator Lindsey Graham.

During the ceremony, President Trump recounted the extraordinary bravery of Maj. James Capers Jr. Capers, now 88, was recognized for his actions during a reconnaissance patrol in Vietnam in March and April 1967. When his battalion was ambushed, Capers sustained multiple gunshot wounds but continued to lead his team. Trump described how Capers, despite severe injuries, asserted command and led his men to an extraction site, refusing to leave until all his fellow Marines were safely aboard the rescue helicopter.

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When the helicopter groaned under the weight of the entire team, too many people, he attempted to deplane, but his team physically held him back, refusing to leave their leader behind.

Marine Col. John W. Ripley was honored posthumously for his actions in April 1972 during the Easter Offensive. While serving as an adviser to the South Vietnamese army, Ripley single-handedly placed 500 pounds of explosives beneath a bridge near Dong Ha to halt a North Vietnamese assault. Trump detailed Ripley's perilous task, stating, "Hand over hand, he climbed, dangling beneath the bridge, and over the rushing water…Completely."

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As North Vietnamese forces surged through the north river bank, it became clear that the assault could only be stopped by destroying the bridge.

The ceremony underscored the immense sacrifices made by these servicemen and highlighted their valor in the face of extreme danger.

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Hand over hand, he climbed, dangling beneath the bridge, and over the rushing water…Completely