From March 31 to April 3, 1967, Major James Capers Jr. (2LT at the time) led a 9-man Force Recon team deep into enemy territory near Phu Loc, Vietnam. Their mission: locate a major North Vietnamese base camp and support nearby Marine units. Surrounded and repeatedly engaged by larger enemy forces, Capers’ team fought through intense firefights, booby traps, and ambushes. On the final day, a brutal enemy attack left Capers severely wounded by bullets and shrapnel. Despite extreme blood loss and being injected with morphine, he refused evacuation, coordinating airstrikes and extracting his men first. Only boarding the helicopter after everyone else was safe. For this, he was awarded the Silver Star.

Silver Star Citation:
The President of the United States of America takes pleasure in presenting the Silver Star to Major (then Second Lieutenant] James Capers, Jr. (MCSN: 0-95892), United States Marine Corps, for conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action against the enemy as Team Leader and Platoon Commander, First Platoon, Forward Detachment, Third Force Reconnaissance Company, Third Reconnaissance Battalion, THIRD Marine Division, during combat operations in the vicinity of Phu Loc, Republic of Vietnam from 31 March to 3 April 1967. Beginning a four day long foot mobile reconnaissance patrol, Major Capers maneuvered his team through rugged enemy territory. His team was tasked to locate a suspected North Vietnamese regimental base camp southwest of Phu Loc and provide observation for the flank of Company M, Third Battalion, Twenty-Sixth Marines. The area proved to be heavily inhabited by the enemy as Major Capers’ team made contact with twenty enemy soldiers on their first day of patrolling, with two additional contacts the following day, resulting in one severely wounded Marine. Despite the threat posed by the numerically superior enemy force, Major Capers maintained pursuit of a vigilant and tenacious adversary. He called for fire on an enemy base camp, thus thwarting an impending attack on the Marine battalion. On the last day of the patrol, Major Capers’ nine man patrol was again engaged by a numerically superior enemy force with an initial attack from a daisy-chained claymore mine. Within moments Major Capers sustained multiple fragmentation and bullet wounds from dense barrages of direct and indirect enemy fire. Ignoring the severity of his wounds and an extreme loss of blood, he maintained the initiative and continued the fight with his team. Despite being administered morphine for his severe wounds, he continued to coordinate supporting fire and the team’s movement to the helicopter extraction site. While struggling to maintain consciousness and still under attack, Major Capers demanded continuous situation and status reports from his Marines and ensured the entire team was evacuated before himself. Barely able to stand, Major Capers finally boarded the helicopter and was evacuated. By his bold leadership, undaunted courage, and complete dedication to duty, Major Capers reflected great credit upon himself and upheld the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and of the United States Naval Service.

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