President Trump to Posthumously Award Medal of Honor to Vietnam War Hero John Ripley
President Donald Trump will posthumously award Marine Col. John Ripley the Medal of Honor on June 18 at a White House ceremony, over 50 years after his heroic actions at Dong Ha Bridge during the 1972 Easter Offensive. Then-Captain Ripley single-handedly rigged 500 pounds of explosives on the bridge under heavy enemy fire, preventing North Vietnamese forces from crossing the Cua Viet River and saving countless lives. The date also marks the anniversary of his brother’s death.
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Vietnam War hero of Dong Ha Bridge to be awarded the Medal of Honor
President Donald Trump will posthumously award Marine Col. John Ripley the Medal of Honor on June 18 at a White House ceremony, more than 50 years after his heroic actions during the 1972 Easter Offensive in Vietnam. As a captain, Ripley single-handedly rigged 500 pounds of explosives on the Dong Ha Bridge under heavy enemy fire, preventing North Vietnamese forces from crossing the Cua Viet River and advancing south. The date holds special significance for the Ripley family, as it marks the anniversary of the death of John's brother, Marine test pilot Mike Ripley, who was killed in a 1971 Harrier crash. Tom Ripley, John's son and a former Marine, emphasized the family's long tradition of military service. The article details Ripley's harrowing three-hour effort, during which he prayed continuously while cutting himself on razor wire and dodging enemy fire to complete the demolition that saved countless lives.
Military TimesVietnam War hero of Dong Ha Bridge to be awarded the Medal of Honor
President Donald Trump will posthumously award Marine Col. John Ripley the Medal of Honor on June 18 in a White House ceremony for his heroism during the 1972 Easter Offensive in Vietnam. More than 50 years ago, then-Capt. Ripley rigged 500 pounds of explosives on the Dong Ha Bridge under enemy fire to prevent North Vietnamese forces from advancing south. Despite severe injuries from razor wire and constant machine gun fire, Ripley completed the mission, destroying the bridge and halting the enemy advance. The ceremony date holds special significance for the Ripley family as it marks the anniversary of the death of John's brother, Mike Ripley, who was killed in a jet crash in 1971. The article highlights Ripley's humility, his family's long tradition of military service, and his famous prayer, 'Jesus, Mary, get me there.'
Military TimesVietnam War hero John Ripley to receive Medal of Honor posthumously
President Donald Trump will posthumously award Marine Col. John Ripley the Medal of Honor on June 18 at a White House ceremony, more than 50 years after his heroic actions at Dong Ha Bridge during the Vietnam War. On April 2, 1972, then-Capt. Ripley, serving as senior advisor to the 3rd Vietnamese Marine Battalion, single-handedly rigged 500 pounds of explosives on the Dong Ha Bridge under heavy enemy fire to prevent North Vietnamese forces from crossing the Cua Viet River. Despite being cut by razor wire and under constant machine-gun fire, Ripley spent three hours hanging from the bridge's steel girders to place the charges, which destroyed the bridge and halted the North Vietnamese Easter Offensive. The date holds special significance for the Ripley family as it also marks the anniversary of the death of Ripley's brother, Marine test pilot Mike Ripley, who was killed in a 1971 Harrier crash.
Army TimesVietnam War hero of Dong Ha Bridge to be awarded the Medal of Honor
President Donald Trump will posthumously award Marine Col. John Ripley the Medal of Honor on June 18, 2026, in a White House ceremony. Over 50 years after his heroic actions during the Easter Offensive in 1972, Ripley—then a captain—rigged 500 pounds of explosives on the Dong Ha Bridge in Quang Tri Province, Vietnam, while under heavy enemy fire and hanging from the bridge's steel girders for three hours. His actions destroyed the only crossing capable of supporting North Vietnamese heavy armor, blocking a force of 30,000-40,000 troops and preventing a potentially decisive advance south. The June 18 ceremony date also marks the anniversary of the death of Ripley's brother, Marine test pilot Mike Ripley. The article includes family reflections and detailed accounts of the action.
Navy TimesVietnam War hero of Dong Ha Bridge to be awarded the Medal of Honor
President Donald Trump will posthumously award Marine Col. John Ripley the Medal of Honor on June 18 in a White House ceremony, more than 50 years after his heroic actions at Dong Ha Bridge during the 1972 Easter Offensive in Vietnam. Ripley, then a captain, single-handedly rigged 500 pounds of explosives on the bridge while under heavy enemy fire, preventing North Vietnamese forces from crossing into South Vietnam. The article details Ripley's harrowing three-hour effort, including crawling through razor wire and biting blasting caps to attach fuses. The ceremony date also marks the anniversary of the death of Ripley's brother, Marine test pilot Mike Ripley, who died in a 1971 Harrier crash. Ripley's son Tom, also a Marine, reflects on the family's long tradition of military service.
Air Force TimesVietnam War hero John Ripley to receive posthumous Medal of Honor from President Trump
President Donald Trump will posthumously award Marine Col. John Ripley the Medal of Honor on June 18 at a White House ceremony, more than 50 years after his heroic actions at Dong Ha Bridge during the Vietnam War. On April 2, 1972, then-Capt. Ripley, serving as senior advisor to the 3rd Vietnamese Marine Battalion, single-handedly rigged 500 pounds of explosives on the 600-foot bridge under heavy enemy fire, despite razor wire lacerations and North Vietnamese machine-gun fire. His actions prevented North Vietnamese armored forces from crossing the Cua Viet River during the Easter Offensive, potentially saving countless lives. The date also holds personal significance for the Ripley family, as it marks the anniversary of the death of John's brother, Marine test pilot Mike Ripley, who was killed in a 1971 Harrier crash. Tom Ripley, John's son, highlighted the family's long tradition of military service.
Marine Corps TimesVietnam War hero of Dong Ha Bridge to be awarded the Medal of Honor
President Donald Trump will posthumously award Marine Col. John Ripley the Medal of Honor on June 18 at a White House ceremony, over 50 years after his heroic actions during the 1972 Easter Offensive in Vietnam. Then-Capt. Ripley, serving as a senior advisor to South Vietnamese Marines, single-handedly rigged 500 pounds of explosives on the Dong Ha Bridge under intense enemy fire to prevent 30,000-40,000 North Vietnamese troops and tanks from crossing into Quang Tri Province. He spent three hours hanging from the bridge's steel girders, cutting himself on razor wire, while praying to complete his mission. The date also carries personal significance: it is the anniversary of his brother Mike Ripley's death in a 1971 Harrier jet crash. Ripley's son Tom, a former Marine, highlighted the family's long tradition of military service.
Army TimesVietnam War hero of Dong Ha Bridge to be awarded the Medal of Honor
President Donald Trump will posthumously award the Medal of Honor to Marine Col. John Ripley on June 18 at the White House. Ripley, then a captain, was a senior advisor to the 3rd Vietnamese Marine Battalion in 1972. During the North Vietnamese Easter Offensive, he single-handedly rigged 500 pounds of explosives on the Dong Ha Bridge under enemy fire, buying critical time for South Vietnamese forces. The bridge was the only crossing capable of supporting heavy armor, and its destruction prevented a major North Vietnamese advance. Ripley's son Tom noted that the ceremony date also marks the anniversary of his uncle Mike Ripley's death in a 1971 Harrier crash, underscoring a family tradition of service. The article includes detailed accounts of Ripley's three-hour ordeal hanging under the bridge, cutting himself on razor wire, and biting blasting caps to attach fuses.
Navy TimesVietnam War hero of Dong Ha Bridge to be awarded the Medal of Honor
President Donald Trump will posthumously award Marine Col. John Ripley the Medal of Honor on June 18 in a White House ceremony, more than 50 years after his heroic actions during the Vietnam War. As a captain in 1972, Ripley rigged 500 pounds of explosives on the Dong Ha Bridge under enemy fire, enduring razor wire and machine gun attacks to prevent North Vietnamese forces from crossing into South Vietnam. The ceremony date holds family significance as it coincides with the death anniversary of Ripley's brother, Marine test pilot Mike Ripley, who died in a 1971 Harrier crash. The article recounts Ripley's harrowing three-hour effort and includes family reflections on military service tradition.
Marine Corps TimesVietnam War hero at Dong Ha Bridge to be posthumously awarded Medal of Honor
President Donald Trump will posthumously award Marine Col. John Ripley the Medal of Honor on June 18 in a White House ceremony, more than 50 years after his heroic actions at Dong Ha Bridge during the 1972 Easter Offensive. Then-Capt. Ripley, serving as a senior advisor to the 3rd Vietnamese Marine Battalion, rigged 500 pounds of explosives on the bridge while under heavy North Vietnamese fire, hanging from steel girders and cutting himself on razor wire. His actions prevented 30,000-40,000 North Vietnamese troops and armored vehicles from crossing the Cua Viet River, potentially saving numerous lives. The date holds personal significance for the Ripley family, as it marks the anniversary of the death of John Ripley's brother, Marine pilot Mike Ripley, who was killed in a 1971 jet crash. The article includes family reflections on military service and Ripley's own accounts of his actions.
Army TimesVietnam War hero John Ripley to receive Medal of Honor from President Trump
President Donald Trump will posthumously award the Medal of Honor to Marine Col. John Ripley on June 18 at a White House ceremony, more than 50 years after his heroic actions at Dong Ha Bridge during the 1972 Easter Offensive in Vietnam. Ripley, then a captain, single-handedly rigged 500 pounds of explosives on the bridge under heavy enemy fire, preventing North Vietnamese forces from crossing the Cua Viet River with tanks and heavy armor. The article details Ripley's three-hour ordeal hanging from steel girders while being shot at, his prayer 'Jesus, Mary, get me there,' and his biting down on blasting caps to attach fuses. The ceremony date also marks the anniversary of the death of Ripley's brother, Marine test pilot Mike Ripley, who was killed in a 1971 Harrier crash. Ripley's son Tom, also a Marine, reflects on the family's long tradition of military service.
Marine Corps TimesVietnam War hero of Dong Ha Bridge to be awarded the Medal of Honor
President Donald Trump will posthumously award Marine Col. John Ripley the Medal of Honor on June 18 at a White House ceremony. Ripley, then a captain, heroically rigged 500 pounds of explosives on the Dong Ha Bridge in Vietnam on April 2, 1972, under heavy enemy fire, preventing a North Vietnamese armored advance during the Easter Offensive. The article details his three-hour ordeal hanging under the bridge, cutting himself on razor wire, and hand-attaching blasting caps. The date also marks the anniversary of the death of Ripley's brother, Marine test pilot Mike Ripley, killed in a 1971 crash. The Ripley family has a long tradition of military service, with multiple generations serving in the Marines and Navy.
Navy TimesVietnam War hero of Dong Ha Bridge to be awarded the Medal of Honor
President Donald Trump will posthumously award Marine Col. John Ripley the Medal of Honor on June 18 at a White House ceremony, more than 50 years after his heroic actions at Dong Ha Bridge during the 1972 Easter Offensive in Vietnam. Ripley, then a captain, single-handedly rigged 500 pounds of explosives on the 600-foot bridge under heavy enemy fire, enduring razor wire injuries and machine gun attacks to destroy the only crossing capable of supporting North Vietnamese armored vehicles. The award date holds special significance for the Ripley family as it coincides with the anniversary of the death of John Ripley's brother, Marine test pilot Mike Ripley, who was killed in a 1971 Harrier crash. Ripley's son Tom, a former Marine, highlighted the family's long tradition of military service, including his own son's recent Naval Academy graduation.
Military TimesVietnam War hero John Ripley to receive posthumous Medal of Honor from President Trump
President Donald Trump will posthumously award Marine Col. John Ripley the Medal of Honor on June 18 at a White House ceremony, over 50 years after his heroic actions at Dong Ha Bridge during the 1972 Easter Offensive in Vietnam. Then-Capt. Ripley, a senior advisor to the 3rd Vietnamese Marine Battalion, manually rigged 500 pounds of explosives on the 600-foot bridge while under enemy fire, hanging from steel girders for three hours as he prayed. He ignored severe injuries from razor wire to ensure the bridge was destroyed, blocking a North Vietnamese armored advance. The award date coincides with the anniversary of the death of Ripley's brother, Marine test pilot Mike Ripley, who died in a 1971 crash. Ripley's son Tom, himself a former Marine, highlighted the family's long tradition of service.
Air Force TimesVietnam War hero of Dong Ha Bridge to be awarded the Medal of Honor
President Donald Trump will posthumously award Marine Col. John Ripley the Medal of Honor on June 18, 2026, at a White House ceremony, more than 50 years after his heroic actions during the 1972 Easter Offensive in Vietnam. Then-Capt. Ripley, serving as senior advisor to the 3rd Vietnamese Marine Battalion, single-handedly rigged 500 pounds of explosives on the Dong Ha Bridge under heavy enemy fire to prevent North Vietnamese forces from crossing the Cua Viet River. The demolition denied the advancing 30,000-40,000 NVA troops and armored vehicles the only crossing capable of supporting heavy tanks. Ripley endured razor-wire lacerations and small-arms fire while dangling from the bridge's steel girders for three hours. The award date coincides with the anniversary of the death of Ripley's brother, Marine test pilot Mike Ripley, who was killed in a Harrier crash in 1971.
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