WASHINGTON – Medal of Honor designee Major James Capers Jr. (USMC, Ret.) visited the Library of Congress to induct his oral history into the Veterans History Project, ensuring his legacy as a pioneer of Marine Force Recon and the first Black Marine officer to be authorized for the nation's highest military honor is preserved for future generations. Capers, a legend of the elite “Team Broadminded,” 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 induction ceremony took place in the Great Hall of the Library of Congress following the March 2026 signing of H.R. 3377 into law, which officially authorizes the President to award the Medal of Honor to Capers for acts of valor during the Vietnam War. Capers, born to sharecroppers in the Jim Crow South, broke racial barriers to become the first African American Marine promoted from enlisted to officer via a battlefield commission. His tactics remain foundational to special operations forces today, and he was inducted into the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM) Commando Hall of Honor.
During the visit, Capers was accompanied by his daughter, researcher Aneesah Akbar-Uqdah, and his grandson, U.S. Coast Guard OS3 Joden Brunson. Akbar-Uqdah conducts research on Maritime Law and Port Health & Security in the same Main Reading Room where Capers' oral history will be permanently archived. The inter-agency team that made the induction possible included family members, Library of Congress staff, and leadership from the Veterans History Project.
High-resolution images of the historic induction are available at www.majorcapers.com. Capers' personal decorations include the Silver Star Medal, Bronze Star with two Gold Stars and Combat V, Purple Heart with three Gold Stars, and many others. He lives in Jacksonville, North Carolina, actively mentoring within the Special Operations community.
The Library of Congress Veterans History Project 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 adds a critical chapter to this archive, highlighting the contributions of African American service members and the evolution of special operations.
