The ceremony honored retired Marine
Maj. James Capers Jr. for leading his ambushed team through a mine blast, 17
shrapnel wounds, and gunshots in Vietnam in 1967; posthumously, Marine Col.
John W. Ripley for scaling a bridge under fire to destroy it and halt a massive
North Vietnamese advance in 1972; and retired Army Maj.
Nicholas Dockery for rallying his
platoon against 150 Taliban fighters in Afghanistan in 2012. Congress
authorized the awards this year, waiving decades-old time limits and upgrading
prior honors like the Navy Cross and Silver Star.
