Nearly 50 years of advocacy culminated in a historic moment Friday as President Donald Trump awarded Major James Capers Jr. the Medal of Honor at the White House.

The Medal of Honor is the nation's highest military award for valor.

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 We witnessed him getting up out the wheelchair, walking onto the stage,  retired Marine Corps chaplain Rich Stoglin said.

Stoglin, of North Texas' Arlington, was personally invited to attend the ceremony.


 It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience, and that's just putting it lightly,  Stoglin said.  You almost can't describe the flood of feelings that I had, and others had, on that day of a man who well deserves this award. 

Also in attendance was retired Maj. Gen. James Williams of North Texas' Dallas.

 It was a proud moment,  Williams said.  An effort that everybody that was on the team that pushed us over the goal line wanted to see, and we finally got it to happen. 

Williams said he remembered seeing Capers featured in a Marine Corps recruiting campaign that inspired him early in his career.

 The Marine Corps was on a recruiting campaign, and he became part of that campaign,  Williams said.  Yes, it was very inspirational to see that. 

Capers was injured 19 times in the line of duty.

Williams said he spent 49 years working to help secure the award for Capers. Stoglin and others also contributed to those efforts.

 It's like being in a rugby match, and you were in a 49-year scrum, and you finally got it across the goal line, and that's basically what this was, this was a team effort,  Williams said.

Despite that effort, Williams said the recognition belongs to Capers.

 It's not about me; this is all about Maj. Capers and about correcting the record for the history books, because at the end of the day, this story wasn't being told much even inside the Marine Corps,  Williams said.

Both Williams and Stoglin said witnessing the ceremony made the years of work worthwhile.

 You know just epitomizes what being a marine 

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