My name is Santos Lopez. I'm a U.S. Navy veteran, and I'm asking for your help to honor one of the most extraordinary Marines in American history.

After nearly 60 years, retired Marine Corps Major James "Jim" Capers, Jr. is finally going to receive the Medal of Honor. On March 26, 2026, President Trump signed H.R. 3377 into law, authorizing the nation's highest military award for Maj. Capers' actions in Vietnam. The ceremony date will be announced soon — and we need to be ready.

Who is Maj. Jim Capers?

Maj. Capers, now 88 years old, was a Force Reconnaissance Marine and the first African American to lead a Marine Reconnaissance company and to receive a battlefield commission. From March 31 to April 3, 1967, near Phu Loc in South Vietnam, his Recon team from 3rd Force Recon was ambushed by a numerically superior NVA force. Claymore mines ripped open his abdomen and broke his leg. He sustained 17 shrapnel wounds and two gunshot wounds.

He refused treatment. He called in a mortar strike on his own position to hold off the enemy. He led his team — every one of them wounded — to a landing zone. When the helicopter couldn't lift off under the weight of his men, Maj. Capers tried to jump out and sacrifice himself so his Marines could escape. The crew pulled him back in. A gust of wind lifted the bird. Every Marine on that team came home alive.

Born into poverty in Bishopville, South Carolina during the Jim Crow era, Jim Capers served 22 years in the Marine Corps, became the face of the Corps' first recruiting campaign aimed at young Black Americans ("Ask a Marine"), and went on to serve in classified Cold War operations. He was inducted into USSOCOM's Commando Hall of Honor in 2010.

Why we need your help

Maj. Capers and his family will soon travel to Washington, D.C. for the White House ceremony. We want him to rest, not worry. Our goal is to raise $20,000 to cover lodging near the White House for Maj. Capers and his family during the ceremony and associated events over a two day periord.