The Senate has passed a bill to clear the way for retired Marine Maj. James Capers Jr. to receive the Medal of Honor for his heroism during a 1967 ambush in Vietnam.
A legendary Reconnaissance Marine who saved his nine-man team during an ambush in South Vietnam is one step closer to receiving the Medal of Honor.
The Senate has passed a bill that would waive the award’s time requirement for retired Maj. James Capers Jr., who was shot twice and suffered 17 shrapnel wounds and other injuries during the April 1967 ambush. Not only did Capers lead his team to safety, but he twice tried to get out of the helicopter carrying the rest of his teammates so that it would be light enough to take off, and had to be pulled back inside by his men.
Authored by Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.), the legislation authorizes President Donald Trump to award the Medal of Honor to Capers and cleared the Senate on March 3rd and was signed by the President on March 26th.
Under current policy, the Medal of Honor must be awarded within five years of the date of action. If someone is recommended for the medal after that point, there has to be new information about the day or days in question, or they need a waiver through Congress.
“I will tell you: This really isn’t about me,” Capers said. It’s about the men who didn’t make it home, my troops that followed me.”
Norman issued a statement following the bill’s passage, praising Capers for “risking everything to save his fellow Marines while severely wounded” during the Vietnam War.
“His heroism has been known for decades, but the recognition he deserves has been far too long in coming,” Norman said in the statement.
Capers is the first Black Marine to lead a reconnaissance company and to receive a battlefield commission. The 1967 ambush began when hidden explosives detonated. Capers suffered shrapnel wounds to his abdomen and other parts of his body and a broken leg.