It’s been nearly 60 years since retired Marine Maj. James Capers Jr. led a nine-man reconnaissance team out of a horrific ambush in Vietnam despite being shot twice, suffering 17 shrapnel wounds, on top of a string of other injuries. Twice, Capers tried to lighten the load of a helicopter carrying his teammates by insisting they leave him behind, only for his men to pull him back inside.
Now, 133 retired senior enlisted leaders are urging President Donald Trump to press Congress to pass a law that would allow Capers to finally receive the Medal of Honor. The top enlisted leaders added their names to the letter to the president written by retired Marine Sgt. Maj. Bryan Battaglia.
“Awarding Major Capers the MoH is not just about honoring one Warrior — it’s about standing up for every Warrior,” wrote Battaglia, who served as Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff from 2011 to 2015.
In the Aug. 4 letter, Battaglia and the other senior enlisted leaders asked Trump to press lawmakers to approve a bill introduced by Rep. Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) that would authorize Trump to award Capers the Medal of Honor by waiving a requirement that service members receive the medal within five years of their heroic actions.
Capers’ commanding general had planned to recommend him for the Medal of Honor but was killed in a helicopter crash before being able to do so, Battaglia wrote. Instead, an officer recommended Capers for an ‘End of Tour’ Bronze Star Medal with “V” device for valor. This same officer later recommended that Capers receive the Medal of Honor after learning more about his bravery. Then in 2010, Capers’ award was upgraded to the Silver Star.
Battaglia told Task & Purpose he only recently learned that Capers’ original award was being considered for an upgrade while he was serving as the 2nd Marine Division’s sergeant major.
“It never came across my desk, and I wish it would have, to some degree,” Battaglia said. “Maybe I could have done something about it. I feel even responsible at this point in time in my post career that I wish I had situational awareness on it when it first came up through 2nd Marine Division. I felt obligated to say that it’s not too late, and maybe I could do something about it.”
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Because Capers’ case is more than just a Marine Corps issue, Battaglia decided to reach out to senior enlisted leaders from across the military to sign his letter to the president, Battaglia said.
“I wanted to show the commander-in-chief and others who read it that these senior enlisted come from across the service branches in a myriad of specialties from Special Forces to Coast Guard stations,” Battaglia said.
The list of retired enlisted leaders who have agreed to add their names to Battaglia’s letter includes former Sgt. Maj. of the Marine Corps John Estrada, former Master Chief Petty Officer of the Coast Guard Frank Welch, and Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Curtis Brownhill, former senior enlisted advisor for U.S. Central Command.
Even more veterans, ranging from junior to senior enlisted service members, wanted to join the effort as well, but there was not enough time, Battaglia said.
“Although there were 133 listed on the letter, there were many, many more waiting to be added, but I had to make a cutoff time so we could get the letter mailed out,” Battaglia said. “So it’s to say, 133 is hardly a final number.”
Battaglia’s letter is the latest in ongoing efforts to have Capers finally receive the U.S. military’s highest valor award. In February, 47 members of Congress sent a letter to Trump urging him to award Capers the Medal of Honor.
Capers, who is turning 88 later this month, was one of 100 service members who attended a ceremony on Thursday at the White House to commemorate National Purple Heart Day.
“I was honored,” Capers told Task & Purpose on Friday. “He’s a gracious man and he’s got a lot on his plate and to take the time to do this Purple Heart holders is very gracious.”
Capers also said that if he eventually receives the Medal of Honor, it will reflect the efforts of many who helped make it happen, including his son Gary, who died in 2003, and his wife Dottie, who died six years later.
“I don’t want to sound ungrateful, but it really belongs to the men that I lost along the way and my family — all gone now,” Capers said. “It belongs to them more than it does to me.”
