President Trump will present the Medal of Honor, the highest military award, to two US Marines and one Army soldier this afternoon during a White House ceremony.

The two Marine Corps veterans, Major James Capers Jr. and Colonel John W. Ripley, are Vietnam War heroes.

Major Capers is being recognized for his heroism while serving as Team Leader with 3d Force Reconnaissance Company, 3d Reconnaissance Battalion in the Republic of Vietnam from March 31 to April 3, 1967. When his team was ambushed by a claymore mine and enemy fire on the last day of a four-day reconnaissance patrol, he sustained multiple severe wounds but selflessly led his entire team to safety. “Ignoring his injuries and extreme blood loss, he continued to lead his team, coordinate supporting fire, and direct their movement to an extraction site. Refusing to be evacuated before all his men were safe, he ensured the entire team was extracted before finally boarding the helicopter,” the White House said in a statement.

Colonel Ripley will be posthumously awarded for his extraordinary bravery while serving in Vietnam in 1972. On April 2, 1972, Ripley was serving as Senior Marine Advisor to the Third Vietnamese Marine Corps Infantry Battalion, where he “single-handedly moved 500 pounds of explosives into position” to capture a bridge in the village of Dong Ha and stop the enemy from advancing. “For three hours, he repeatedly exposed himself to intense enemy fire as he climbed beneath the bridge along its bridge’s steel beams to emplace the explosive charges at key structural points,” according to the statement from the White House.

Army Major Nicholas Dockery will be recognized for his heroism while serving as a Platoon Leader, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division in Kapisa Province, Afghanistan. After being ambushed by a “large and well-armed Taliban force,” Dockery led the evacuation efforts for wounded members of his platoon. “Over the course of four hours, he fought and maintained contact with the enemy in extremely restricted urban terrain, personally risking his life on numerous occasions to protect and evacuate three wounded members of his platoon,” the White House said.

The White House said in a press release:

On Thursday, June 18, 2026, President Donald J. Trump will award the Medal of Honor to Major James Capers, Jr., U.S. Marine Corps (Retired), Colonel John W. Ripley, U.S. Marine Corps (Posthumous), and Major Nicholas Dockery, U.S. Army (Retired).

Then-Second Lieutenant James Capers, Jr. will receive the Medal of Honor for acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty as a Team Leader with 3d Force Reconnaissance Company, 3d Reconnaissance Battalion in the Republic of Vietnam from March 31 to April 3, 1967. During a four-day reconnaissance patrol, he and his team were tasked with locating a North Vietnamese regimental base camp. Despite making contact with a numerically superior enemy force on three separate occasions, he tenaciously continued the mission. He successfully directed fire onto an enemy base camp, thwarting an impending attack on a nearby Marine battalion.  On the final day, his patrol was ambushed by a claymore mine and came under a dense barrage of enemy fire, where he sustained multiple severe wounds. Ignoring his injuries and extreme blood loss, he continued to lead his team, coordinate supporting fire, and direct their movement to an extraction site. Refusing to be evacuated before all his men were safe, he ensured the entire team was extracted before finally boarding the helicopter.

Then-Captain John W. Ripley will receive the Medal of Honor posthumously for acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty on April 2, 1972, while serving as Senior Marine Advisor to the Third Vietnamese Marine Corps Infantry Battalion in the Republic of Vietnam. While serving in this capacity, he played a pivotal role in halting a major North Vietnamese mechanized assault. The enemy’s rapid advance depended on the capture of a bridge in the village of Dong Ha.  To destroy the bridge, Captain Ripley single-handedly moved 500 pounds of explosives into position. For three hours, he repeatedly exposed himself to intense enemy fire as he climbed beneath the bridge along its bridge’s steel beams to emplace the explosive charges at key structural points. After successfully setting the explosives, he detonated the charges, completely destroying the bridge and stopping the enemy’s advance.

Then-Second Lieutenant Nicholas Dockery will receive the Medal of Honor for acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty on October 2, 2012, while serving as a Platoon Leader, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 4th Infantry Division in Kapisa Province, Afghanistan.  On this day, a large and well-armed Taliban force ambushed Second Lieutenant Dockery’s platoon.  Over the course of four hours, he fought and maintained contact with the enemy in extremely restricted urban terrain, personally risking his life on numerous occasions to protect and evacuate three wounded members of his platoon.  After consolidation and reorganization, he directed rotary wing aircraft in the defense against subsequent enemy counter-attacks from an exposed rooftop while his unit evacuated the wounded soldiers.

The ceremony is scheduled to begin at 4 PM ET.

Watch live below:

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