In April 1967, Marine 2nd Lt. James Capers Jr. ignored his numerous bullet and shrapnel wounds to lead his nine-man team from 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company against an enemy ambush in South Vietnam.

The ambush had erupted with hidden explosives that threw Capers against a tree. Shrapnel from the blast punctured his body in more than a dozen places, including wounds to his abdomen and a broken leg, Capers told Coffee or Die Magazine in 2021.

Still, Capers ordered a mortar strike on the team’s position to keep the enemy at bay. Despite losing a significant amount of blood and being administered morphine, he led his team to a helicopter landing zone.

When a helicopter landed, Capers refused to get on board unless the crew took the body of the team’s military working dog. After the helico

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