Image: Maj. James Capers, Jr.
Major James Capers Jr. has already given more than most have for our country. Now, it is our turn to award him what he so rightly deserves.Amid the chaos of Phu Loc, Vietnam, with shrapnel tearing through his body and gunshot wounds threatening his life, Major James Capers Jr. stood firm. The screams of his wounded men pierced the air, but he refused to back down. Surrounded by a numerically superior North Vietnamese force, Capers risked everything to ensure his Marines survived. This is the essence of heroism — a story of courage and self-sacrifice.
Throughout American history, there have been heroes whose stories challenge ignorance and prejudice. Major James Capers Jr., a Marine Corps legend, is one such hero. His life is a testament to integrity and triumph — not only on distant battlefields but also against individual racists and political ideologues at home.
As one of the first black Marines to serve in the elite Force Reconnaissance Companies, and the only one to receive a battlefield commission — from Staff Sergeant to 2nd Lieutenant — Capers led his team on dozens of near-impossible missions. His extraordinary actions at Phu Loc, where he received 17 shrapnel wounds and was shot twice, were marked by gallantry, intrepidity, and self-sacrifice far above and beyond the call of duty.
Despite being recommended for the Medal of Honor by his Marines and a general officer in Vietnam, the recognition was blocked by his commanding officer, who was not even present at Phu Loc. Instead, he recommended a lesser award, the Bronze Star with Combat “V.” The CO’s motives — whether personal animus, jealousy, or racism — remain unclear. However, his disdain was evident, reportedly saying of the Medal of Honor recommendation: “Not only no, but hell no!”
Decades later, the chance to correct this injustice is overshadowed by a new form of discrimination. Major Capers is being judged not for what he did, but for what he refuses to say. Political influencers offered to help him secure the Medal of Honor, but only if he agreed to use his platform to promote the narrative of systemic racism in modern-day America.
Capers, a fiercely patriotic and principled man, refused. His love for the Marine Corps and belief in America’s greatness stand in stark contrast to the demands of those who insist he cast himself as a victim. Without his compliance, their support was withdrawn, and their absence continues to negatively affect the process to this day.
Even recently, the Naval and Military Academies jointly refused to run a full-page ad honoring Major Capers in the commemorative program for the 125th Army-Navy football game. In an email, the program’s publisher was told the ad was “inappropriate” and “too controversial.” When 23 congressmen questioned the academies’ decision, Vice Admiral Yvette M. Davids and Lieutenant General Steven W. Gilland defended it, stating that a corporate sponsor’s ad was chosen instead. They further claimed there wasn’t enough time to accommodate Major Capers at the game or recognize him publicly, despite having had more time than it took for U.S. forces to rout the Iraqis during the first Gulf War.
<img alt captext="Image: Maj. James Capers, Jr.” class=”post-image-right” src=”https://conservativenewsbriefing.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/major-james-capers-a-hero-who-defies-identity-politics.jpg” width=”450″>Major Capers’ life defies false political narratives. Raised during the Jim Crow era in South Carolina as the son of a sharecropper, he experienced segregation’s sting but also compassion. When he fell gravely ill as a child, a white family took him in and nursed him back to health. Later, as a Marine, he faced individual racists but found the institution stood by him, ensuring he received the training and opportunities he earned. When a SCUBA instructor refused to let him train due to his race, the Marine Corps intervened. Capers not only completed the training but graduated as the Honor Graduate of his class.
While Capers acknowledges the presence of racists, he rejects the idea that present-day America or the Marine Corps is inherently oppressive. His life demonstrates how individual achievement, supported by a fair system, can overcome prejudice. “I love my country. I love the Marine Corps. They made me who I am,” he says. His gratitude and patriotism directly counter the false narrative that America is irredeemably broken by institutional racism. For some, these words are a threat. Critics might label him the “wrong kind of black man,” or worse, because he refuses to align with divisive identity politics.
Tragically, some prefer to wait for Major Capers, now 87 and in fragile health, to pass away so they can award the medal posthumously. This would allow them to twist his story into a false narrative, portraying his delayed recognition as an indictment of “racist America,” despite their own obstruction of his honor during his lifetime.
What kind of nation allows politics to stand in the way of honoring its heroes? What kind of people sit idle while a man who went in harm’s way on our behalf is denied his due? Delaying this honor further is not just an insult to Major Capers — it is a stain on our national character. His remaining time with us is precious. Each day we wait is another day lost to do what is right.
Major Capers is no victim. He is not only the hero in his own story — he is a hero in America’s story.
He does not need this medal to validate his heroism, but we need it to prove that America still knows how to honor its heroes. In 1967, it is likely a racist denied him the Medal of Honor to obscure his heroism. Now, in 2024, ideologues who claim to fight for “equity” seek to obscure the truth. The obstructionists have changed, but ironically the intent remains the same: suppress a man whose life embodies truths that transcend prejudice.
Major James Capers Jr. has already given more than most have for our country. Now, it is our turn to award him what he so rightly deserves. Let us ensure his story is not rewritten to suit an agenda but celebrated for what it is: a testament to the resilience of the human spirit and the greatness of America.
God willing, Congress and President Trump will seize this opportunity to rectify a historical injustice and award Major James Capers Jr. the Medal of Honor while he is still alive.
Image: Maj. James Capers, Jr.
