Sponsors (2)
The bill restores formal Medal of Honor recognition to a Vietnam veteran—honoring individual and public trust in military awards—while imposing modest administrative costs and potentially encouraging additional retroactive award requests.
James Capers Jr., a Vietnam veteran, will receive the Medal of Honor, providing him formal recognition of valor and access to the honor and benefits that accompany the award.
The bill publicly acknowledges past heroism, helping maintain confidence in military honors and ensuring historical acts of valor are officially recorded and recognized.
Veterans and federal employees may face increased expectations and more petitions for retroactive awards, creating additional administrative workload for the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs.
Taxpayers and federal agencies could incur modest administrative costs to process the award and any benefits tied to Medal of Honor status.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Permits the President to award the Medal of Honor to James Capers Jr. for valor in Vietnam (March 31–April 3, 1967), overriding statutory award time limits.
Authorizes the President to award the Medal of Honor to James Capers Jr. for valorous actions while serving as a Marine from March 31 through April 3, 1967, in the Vietnam War, even though normal statutory time limits would otherwise bar the award. The action specifically overrides the time limits in the cited sections of title 10, U.S. Code, allowing the highest military decoration to be granted despite the prior award of a Silver Star for the same actions.
Introduced February 4, 2026 by Lindsey O. Graham · Last progress February 4, 2026