Major James Capers Jr., a pioneering Marine Force Recon officer and Medal of Honor designee, visited the Library of Congress in March 2026 to induct his oral history into the Veterans History Project (VHP). The induction follows the signing of H.R. 3377 into law on March 26, 2026, authorizing the President to award the Medal of Honor to Capers for his acts of valor during the Vietnam War. This makes Capers the first African American Marine officer in U.S. history to receive the nation's highest military honor.
During his visit, Capers provided a firsthand account of his 64 long-range reconnaissance patrols in Vietnam and his role as the face of the Marine Corps' first fully integrated national recruitment campaign in 1967. The oral history was recorded in the iconic Main Reading Room of the Library of Congress, where his grandson, U.S. Coast Guard OS3 Joden Brunson, and his daughter, researcher Aneesah Akbar-Uqdah, accompanied him. Akbar-Uqdah is currently conducting research on Maritime Law and Port Health & Security in the same reading room.
Born to sharecroppers in the Jim Crow South, Capers broke racial barriers to become the first African American Marine promoted from enlisted to officer via a battlefield commission. A member of the inaugural class of the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Commando Hall of Honor, his tactics remain foundational to special operations forces today. His personal decorations include the Silver Star Medal, Bronze Star with two Gold Stars and Combat V, Purple Heart with three Gold Stars, and the Vietnam Cross of Gallantry, among many others.
The Veterans History Project at the Library of Congress collects, preserves, and makes accessible the firsthand recollections of U.S. military veterans so that future generations may hear directly from them and better understand the realities of war. Capers' induction ensures his legacy as a pioneer of Marine Force Recon and a legend of the elite "Team Broadminded" will be permanently archived. High-resolution images of the historic induction are available at www.majorcapers.com.
