At the 250th Anniversary of our nation’s founding, Americans can now celebrate the valor of another hero who has marked our history. On June 18, 2026, Col. John Ripley (USMC) was posthumously presented with the Medal of Honor, along with Majors James Capper and Nicholas Dockery, during a packed White House ceremony. It is official. Americans can now say, when referring to this American hero: Col. John W. Ripley, Medal of Honor recipient.
This long-awaited recognition was made possible by a landmark piece of legislation (titled H.R. 7211) introduced by Rep. Griffith H. Morgan from Virginia’s 9th Congressional District, “To authorize the President to award the Medal of Honor to John W. Ripley for acts of valor during the Vietnam War.” This bill passed unanimously in both the House and Senate and was signed into law by President Trump on March 26, 2026.
Col. Ripley richly deserved this award. Some thought that the time would never come. Over the years, many Marines lent their support to make it happen. But each attempt failed. “We would run it up the flagpole,” one Marine said, “and no one would salute.”
Induction into the Hall of Heroes
The day after the White House event, Col. Ripley was ceremoniously inducted into the Pentagon’s Hall of Heroes. His name is now included with all the Medal of Honor recipients in our nation’s history.
During this ceremony, Gen. Eric Smith, the Commandant of the Marine Corps, gave a stirring narration of Col. Ripley’s demolition of the Dong Ha Bridge in Vietnam on April 2, 1972. He said the act “will echo in eternity.” Secretary of War Pete Hegseth delivered an equally moving tribute to this great man. He, like President Trump at the White House ceremony, highlighted the simple prayer he prayed while dangling beneath the Bridge. “Jesus, Mary, get me there. He repeated it rhythmically,” Mr. Hegseth continued, and “suddenly, strength came.”
Col. Ripley explained the importance of that prayer during a 1993 address to members of Tradition, Family and Property (TFP). He related how the only way he was going to accomplish the mission was to “invite God to come along with me. I knew that if I invoked God’s help, He would come along.”
He continued:
A Marine’s life is very regimented and very disciplined. That is to say, controlled by a very explicit drill. And so, as I grabbed these beams and I started moving out, I set up a rhythmic motion as I was hand walking, and that is the chant that I used as I went along: “Jesus, Mary, get me there!” It was perhaps a Catholics equivalent of “hut, two, three, four.” And it worked.
That simple prayer defines the greatness of Col. John Ripley and is what motivated the TFP book, An American Knight. Like the knights of old, he saw the power of prayer and asked Our Lord and His Mother for strength to defeat the enemies of Christian civilization.
Mission accomplished, Col. Ripley! Rest in peace. On behalf of a grateful nation, we salute you.
First Published on TFP.org