Major James Capers Jr.'s heroics during the Vietnam War earned him a Bronze Star. But for his fellow servicemen whose lives he helped save, the recognition wasn't enough.
On last week's episode of "1819 News: The Podcast," military veteran and 1819 News columnist Troy Carico recounted Capers' brave actions and the campaign he helped lead to get Capers' award upgraded to the Medal of Honor.
"James Capers, he's an alpha male warrior of old-time lore; he belongs in the pantheon of the greatest warriors of this country," Carico began.
After receiving a field promotion to lieutenant, Capers led a team of eight troops into North Vietnam on a reconnaissance mission. When his commander sent them back in for more information, Carico said Capers knew they were tempting fate.
"They had an ambush waiting for him… Every Marine, all eight of them, were hit by, some of them, multiple rounds of shrapnel. Capers got his stomach ripped open from a wound. He's been hit in the shoulder. His dog, King — he had a war dog, a German Shepherd, King — was killed. And they are in the middle of a pitched battle."
Capers kept fighting while he loaded his dead dog on a helicopter along with his men. When it had trouble taking off, he volunteered to stay behind.
"He was going to stay behind. He goes, 'Get my Marines and my dog back to camp.' They set back down. The door gunners land fire. They start throwing off rucksacks, helmets, everything they could to lighten the load, pull him on, basically fighting to stay, and they take off, and they make it. They get back to the camp."
Capers' team nominated him for the Silver Star, but due to regulations, he was awarded the Bronze Star. Several years later, it was upgraded to Silver, but it didn't stop there.
The Medal of Honor was in sight during the Biden administration, but Capers refused to sacrifice his principles to receive it.
“[U.S. Rep.] Hakeem Jefferies (D-N.Y.) listens to his story. Hakeem goes, 'Tell you what, Major Capers, we're going to make sure you get this Medal of Honor under President Biden and under my watch here. I just need one thing from you. I need you to tell that story, but I also need you to tell the rest of the story. How you were racially discriminated against, how being a black Marine was hell,'… He stood up and said, 'Firetruck word to you. I don't want your damn award,' he said. And he walked out and stormed out. He said, 'The Marines was the best thing to ever happen to me. I was treated no different than any other Marine.' So the man's just a man for the ages."
Many years later, Carico kept telling Capers' story on the radio and with 1819 News. Word reached officials in the Trump administration, and Capers finally received the recognition he deserved this June, nearly 60 years after serving in Vietnam.
"I can't stress enough to you how critical it is, Bryan, to recognize our warriors while they're alive, not posthumously," Carico said. "We're bad about that. And this gentleman now has all the benefits, which is about an extra $10,000 a year. It's not about the money, but he's being recognized as a man amongst men."
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