Major James Capers Jr.

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BOTTOM LINE UP FRONT: What the President Can Do Now

1. Support passage of H.R. 3377 to waive the five-year time limit — as was done for SgtMaj John Canley, a fellow Vietnam hero.
2. Award Major James Capers Jr. the Medal of Honor based on overwhelming, undisputed evidence of his battlefield heroism and the procedural failure that denied him proper recognition.
3. Act swiftly. Capers is 87, recently released from the ICU, and deserves to receive this honor while he is still alive — ideally in time to wear it to the 250th Marine Corps Birthday Ball this November.

Background

Major James “Jim” Capers Jr., a legendary Marine Force Reconnaissance Officer, led dozens of classified combat missions during the Vietnam War. From March 31 to April 3, 1967, Capers’ team engaged enemy forces and was ultimately ambushed by a numerically superior NVA regiment near Phu Loc. Despite sustaining 17 shrapnel and two gunshot wounds that tore through his legs and abdomen, Capers refused treatment, coordinated fire support, led a counterassault, and held off the enemy to ensure his wounded Marines could be evacuated. When the medevac helo was too heavy to lift, Capers attempted to sacrifice himself by disembarking—only to be physically restrained by the crew chief. All eight Marines survived.

Major General Hochmuth, CG, 3rd Marine Division, visited the wounded team in the hospital, heard firsthand accounts, and communicated his intent to recommend Capers for the Medal of Honor. Tragically, Hochmuth was killed in a helicopter crash — ending that process.

Capers was instead awarded an “end-of-tour” Bronze Star for Valor by an officer who was not at Phu Loc and unaware of Hochmuth’s intent.

The Problem

Multiple Marine Corps general officers have since called for Capers’ case to be reviewed. In 2009, armed with notarized witness statements and MOH endorsements from every one of Capers’ Vietnam commanders — including the officer who had originally recommended the Bronze Star — the Marine Corps Awards Branch revisited the case.

They upgraded Capers’ Bronze Star to the Silver Star — the highest award legally permitted for an end-of-tour award.  Why? The Medal of Honor is not an end-of-tour award.

This was a material procedural error, not a lack of merit. Despite this, Pentagon officials continue to block further review, citing “no new information.” But this isn’t about insufficient evidence — it’s about a fatally flawed process. Capers was never properly considered for the MOH.

Capers’ actions, witnessed by fellow Marines and benchmarked against those of other Vietnam-era MOH recipients, are laid out in the article Two Heroes, One Medal of Honor. Why?. Everyone who has reviewed the facts — including General James Conway, 34th Commandant of the Marine Corps, under whom Capers was awarded the Silver Star — now agrees: Major Capers deserves the Medal of Honor.