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

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President Trump connected Thursday conferred 2 Vietnam War veterans and 1 seasoned of the Afghanistan War with the Medal of Honor, the nation's highest subject award.

In a ceremonial astatine the White House, the president paid tribute to retired Marine Corps Maj. James Capers Jr., retired Army Maj. Nicholas Dockery and Marine Col. John W. Ripley, who died successful 2008.

Among those who attended the ceremonial were Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz, and Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

Retired Marine Corps Maj. James Capers

Capers, present 88, was portion of a four-day reconnaissance patrol successful Vietnam successful March and April of 1967, according to the White House. On the last time of the patrol, his battalion was ambushed by a claymore excavation and came nether dense force fire, during which helium suffered aggregate gunshot wounds.

"Shrapnel peppered his assemblage successful 17 places," Mr. Trump said during the ceremony. "… Every 1 of his chap Marines went down wounded, but Jim rose, pushing guardant connected a limb that shouldn't person been capable to transportation immoderate of his weight. After a changeable of morphine, Jim asserted bid of the firefight."

Capers successfully led his squad to an extraction site, wherever helium refused to evacuate earlier each his men were safely aboard the rescue helicopter.

"When the chopper groaned nether the value of the full team, excessively galore people, helium attempted to deplane, but his squad physically held him back, refusing to permission their person behind," Mr. Trump said.

Marine Col. John W. Ripley

In April 1972, Ripley halted a North Vietnamese battle portion serving arsenic an advisor to the South Vietnamese army, the White House said.

As portion of what became known arsenic the Easter Offensive — past the largest crushed penetration since the commencement of the Vietnam War — the North Vietnamese service had pushed southbound successful an effort to seizure a span successful Dong Ha.

"As North Vietnamese forces surged done the northbound stream bank, it became wide that the battle could lone beryllium stopped by destroying the bridge," Mr. Trump said.

Ripley, the lone worker with capable demolition experience, single-handedly moved 500 pounds of explosives beneath the span implicit the people of respective hours.

"Hand implicit hand, helium climbed, dangling beneath the bridge, and implicit the rushing water…Completely exposed to withering force gunfire, John completed, not one, not two, but 5 specified trips," Mr. Trump said.

Ripley past successfully detonated the charges, destroying the span and preventing the North Vietnamese service from advancing.

"When John detonated the explosives, the span collapsed into the river, crushing the advance, and saved the anticipation of a escaped Vietnam for Easter morning," Mr. Trump said.

Ripley was antecedently awarded the Navy Cross for his actions that day. His 3 sons and respective different household members attended Thursday's ceremony.

Retired Army Maj. Nicholas Dockery

Dockery was serving arsenic a platoon person successful the Kapisa Province of Afghanistan successful October 2012 erstwhile his platoon was ambushed by dozens of Taliban fighters, the White House said.

"The force unleashed overwhelming torrents of occurrence from instrumentality guns and rocket-propelled grenades," Mr. Trump said during the ceremony. "Without interest for his ain beingness astatine all, Nick raced crossed the unfastened crushed to rally his scattered team."

Over the adjacent 4 hours, Dockery fought the Taliban forces successful municipality terrain, risking his beingness respective times. No 1 connected his squad was mislaid that day, the White House said.

When helium realized that 1 of his squad members was missing, "Nick rushed done the compound until helium recovered the sergeant being dragged done an alleyway by 2 Taliban fighters," the president said

Dockery killed the 2 Taliban fighters and rushed the sergeant to safety. When helium discovered the sergeant was not breathing, Dockery began CPR, resuscitating the sergeant, Mr. Trump said.

He successfully evacuated 3 wounded members of his platoon aft helium climbed onto an unfastened roof, making himself susceptible to much force fire, and signaling U.S. subject craft to "come to the platoon's rescue."

"He signaled force positions with fume grenades, allowing American gunships to travel to the platoon's rescue," Mr. Trump said, noting that Dockery was the "last antheral to depart the battlefield that day."

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