Congress Authorizes Medal of Honor for Vietnam Veteran James Capers Jr.
Private Law 119-1 directs the President to award the Medal of Honor to former Marine James Capers Jr. The award recognizes actions during the Vietnam War that previously received the Silver Star.
foxnews.comPrivate Law 119-1, signed June 11, 2026, authorizes the President to award the Medal of Honor to James Capers Jr. for valor as a Marine during the Vietnam War.
The statute applies to one individual. Capers previously received the Silver Star for the same actions. No other service members are named in the law.
The law changes the decoration attached to Capers’s documented conduct. Prior to enactment, the highest award recorded for those actions was the Silver Star. The new statute permits the President to upgrade the award to the Medal of Honor. The change takes effect upon the President’s signature.
The Department of Defense must now prepare the formal citation and coordinate the presentation ceremony. The upgrade also triggers statutory benefits tied exclusively to the Medal of Honor, including a monthly pension increase and interment rights at Arlington National Cemetery. No further congressional action is required.
Private Law 119-1 is the first private law enacted in the 119th Congress. Congress has passed similar private laws for other Vietnam-era service members in prior sessions.
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