Of the 5,336 Medal of Honor recipients only 65 of them are still alive today. One of them being 88 year-old Vietnam veteran, Major (Ret.) James Capers Jr. who was recently awarded the medal by President Doanld Trump after 59 years.

Since the age of 15-years-old, I have been interviewing veterans for my YouTube channel, Filmperia, in order to document first-hand accounts from WWII to the modern day. Over 125 interviews can be seen on my channel. Because of my passion for preserving the past, I have had the opportunity to travel from the beaches of Normandy to the dangers of Afghanistan and Ukraine. Most recently, on June 18th, my friend Major James Capers Jr. was selected to receive the highest award in the United States Military, the Medal of Honor. I was asked to accompany Major Capers to Washington, D.C. and was given permission to document his experiences.

Although I was not able to attend the White House ceremony as that was for selected individuals, I recorded Major Capers at the reception after the ceremony, during the Pentagon gathering, at the Army and Navy Club, and in his room at the Waldorf Astoria. Due to my YouTube shorts, Instagram and Facebook reels, millions of people have been able to view Major Capers getting the recognition he deserves after so many decades.

After leaving the Pentagon, we were given a police escort to attend a ceremony hosted by Secretary Pete Hegseth and Commandant Eric Smith to induct James Capers Jr. and John Ripley into the Hall of Heroes. Afterwards, Capers spent hours engaging in photo opportunities and greeting service members, family, and friends. At the end of the event, Major Capers’ ID was updated by U.S. servicemen to give him the official status of a Medal of Honor recipient.

On our last night in the hotel, I asked Major Capers to reflect on his experience in Washington, and he allowed me to record his thoughts. During the informal interview, he said the following: “They gave me the Medal of Honor. But a lot of men who served with me deserve it as much as I do”. Capers continued to honor the men who fought under him during his time in Vietnam and gave credit to all of the people who sacrificed so much for our country.

I have been active in the veteran community since high school and I will never forget those few days spent with Major James Capers in Washington, D.C. It was the greatest honor of my lifetime. Once again, I have been asked to accompany Major Capers to Arlington, Texas in late August to document him being inducted into the Medal of Honor Museum.

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