Post a picture.....any picture...part deux...

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Nearly 60 Years After Vietnam, James Capers' Medal of Honor Confirms What Marines Already Knew





On March 31, 1967, then-2nd Lt. James Capers led a nine-man Force Reconnaissance patrol deep into enemy-controlled territory near Phu Loc, South Vietnam.

The mission was straightforward: gather intelligence on enemy troop movements. Instead, the team found itself surrounded by a much larger North Vietnamese force.

For four days, the Marines fought while attempting to evade encirclement.

Capers was shot twice. He suffered multiple shrapnel wounds and a broken leg. Despite his injuries, he continued directing the defense, coordinating supporting fires and encouraging his Marines as they fought toward extraction.

When a rescue helicopter finally reached the team, the aircraft struggled under the weight of the wounded Marines. According to accounts of the battle, Capers twice tried to leave the helicopter so the others could survive the flight out. His fellow Marines refused to let him go.

Even then, the team would not leave behind King, the military working dog that had accompanied them throughout the mission. Years later, Capers said King shielded him from part of the blast of a claymore mine, likely saving his life.

The actions earned Capers the Medal of Honor nearly 60 years later. But Marines had been telling that story long before the citation changed.

He became one of the Marine Corps' pioneering reconnaissance officers during the Vietnam War and later became the first Black Marine to command a reconnaissance company. He continued serving after recovering from wounds that could easily have ended his military career, mentoring Marines and building the reconnaissance community that followed.