Sponsors
The bill corrects a past oversight by allowing a veteran to receive the Medal of Honor and improves fairness in award reviews, at the cost of modest administrative expenses and a precedent that could increase DoD workload.
Military personnel and veterans: waives the statutory time limit to allow correction of past award-timing errors, enabling retroactive recognition and promoting fairness in the military awards process.
Nicholas Dockery (the veteran) and his family: makes him eligible to receive the Medal of Honor for actions in Afghanistan on Oct 2, 2012, conferring the nation's highest military recognition and associated honorific benefits and community recognition.
Department of Defense and federal employees: setting a precedent for waiving time limits could prompt additional petitions for retroactive awards, increasing DoD workload and review costs.
Taxpayers and federal agencies: authorizing a retroactive Medal of Honor entails DoD administrative costs for processing ceremonies, updating records, and related actions.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Allows the President to award the Medal of Honor to Nicholas Dockery for valor on Oct 2, 2012, by waiving statutory time limits.
Authorizes the President to award the Medal of Honor to Nicholas Dockery for acts of valor performed as an Army member on October 2, 2012, in Afghanistan, overriding any statutory time limits on awarding the medal. Also establishes an official short title for the Act. The bill does not create programs, appropriate funds, or change other laws beyond allowing this award despite timing rules.
Introduced January 21, 2026 by James Baird · Last progress March 26, 2026