Congress clears way for SC Marine veteran to receive Medal of Honor
A South Carolina-born veteran who saved his unit from a Vietnam ambush may finally receive the nation’s highest honor.
The U.S. Senate on Tuesday passed a special measure authorizing President Donald Trump to award the Medal of Honor to Maj. James Capers for his heroism during the Vietnam War.
Capers, now 88, told The State he was appreciative of all the efforts by many people over a number of years to get him the recognition.
”I don’t have a family anymore, but I have friends who will travel with me [to the ceremony], so it should be a good time,” Capers said from his home in North Carolina.
Capers was told by his congressman to expect to hear from the president within 10 days about a lavish reception and award ceremony in Washington. He said he took pride in being the first Black Marine Corps officer to receive the Medal of Honor, but wished it hadn’t taken nearly 60 years to get it.
”I lost a lot of good men,” he said, “and I felt guilty because I was still alive. I’m glad I made it, but I wish a lot of other men made it here with me to celebrate.”
There’s long been a push for Capers’ actions — in which he saved the lives of his seven comrades in a firefight with a superior enemy force despite being heavily wounded himself — to be honored with the highest recognition the country can bestow.
The 22-year Marine Corps veteran wasn’t sure he would ever receive the medal. Current policy says the Medal of Honor should be awarded within five years of the action. After that, an award has to be based either on new information or a special waiver from Congress, according to military news site Task and Purpose.
Members of South Carolina’s congressional delegation have pushed for legislation that would grant the recognition to Capers, sponsored by Rep. Ralph Norman, R-Rock Hill, whose district includes Capers’ hometown of Bishopville.
“For years now, Congressman Norman has led the effort to ensure Major Capers receives the recognition he so rightly deserves,” Norman’s office said in a press release. “With the Senate’s passage of H.R. 3377, the legislation now heads to the President’s desk, paving the way for this American hero to receive the nation’s highest military honor.”
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-Seneca, lauded his Senate colleagues’ vote to grant Capers the long-delayed recognition.
“Major James Capers, Jr. has served his nation with great distinction and is an inspiration to all Marines” Graham said in a press release. “As someone who courageously answered the call to serve his country and broke barriers along the way, Major Capers, Jr. is someone all Americans can admire. I am pleased that the Senate has approved this legislation that provides President Trump the authority to bestow this South Carolina hero with the recognition he has earned.”
Capers, was born in Lee County and signed up with the Marines after finishing high school in Baltimore. He volunteered to be sent to Vietnam in 1967, where he led a reconnaissance team after receiving a battlefield commission, the first African American to do so.
After a successful mission to call in an air strike on an enemy base, Capers’ team came under heavy attack.
“Despite sustaining severe shrapnel wounds, which ripped open his abdomen and broke his leg, Capers took control, halting the enemy’s advance and directing air, artillery, and mortar strikes dangerously close to his position,” according to a letter signed by 47 members of Congress urging that Capers receive the Medal of Honor.
“For nearly an hour, he engaged the enemy with his rifle and grenades, even as he suffered additional bullet wounds to his legs. ... When the enemy attacked again, Capers returned to the fight despite the Corpsman’s attempts to restrain him, holding off the enemy with his rifle until his rounds were exhausted and then with his pistol.”
When a rescue helicopter finally arrived, Capers initially asked to be left behind when it looked like the chopper wouldn’t be able to take off, before his crew chief reached out and pulled him aboard, Capers previously told The State.
He spent a year at Bethesda Naval Hospital near Washington, D.C., recovering from his wounds and the psychological trauma of his wartime experience. He left the service in 1978 and went on to own a radio station and a construction company among other business ventures.
Although he received a Bronze Star for his actions — upgraded to a Silver Star in 2010 — and received his commanding officer’s recommendation for the Medal of Honor at the time, Capers never received consideration for the distinction despite numerous attempts over the years to have his actions recognized.
Once Capers receives the Medal of Honor, he will join 30 other South Carolinians who have received the honor for gallantry under fire.
This story was originally published March 5, 2026 at 1:04 PM.
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