Latest news with #SilverStarMedal
Yahoo
27-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Medal of Honor upgrade for Vietnam-era Recon Marine part of new bill
A bill recently introduced in Congress would upgrade a Silver Star Medal to a Medal of Honor for a recon Marine who fought through severe injuries while under attack on a mission in the jungles of Vietnam in 1967. Retired Maj. Jim Capers received the Silver Star in 2010 for those actions, but supporters believe his valor deserves the nation's highest military honor. House Resolution 3377, sponsored by Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., was filed — and coupled with a letter to President Donald Trump — on May 13 and remains in the House Armed Services Committee as of Monday. The letter, signed in February by six U.S. senators and 41 representatives, details Capers' actions and asks the president to review the award for the purpose of an upgrade. In late March 1967, Marine 2nd Lt. Jim Capers stepped off on a four-day patrol into the jungles near Phú Lộc, South Vietnam. Capers, recently promoted via a battlefield commission to second lieutenant, led nine 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company Marines alongside a dog named 'King.' The mission was to observe a North Vietnamese Army regiment and protect the flank of Company M, 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines. On the final day of their mission, enemy claymore mines exploded, triggering an attack on his team. Capers received multiple wounds from both the explosion and the 'dense barrages of direct and indirect enemy fire' that followed. Suffering two broken legs and heavy bleeding, Capers continued fighting and directed his team in the counterattack. He coordinated supporting fire and moved his team to the helicopter extraction, which saved their lives. 'While struggling to maintain consciousness and still under attack, Major Capers demanded continuous situation and status reports from his Marines and ensured the entire team was evacuated before himself,' his award citation reads. 'Barely able to stand, Major Capers finally boarded the helicopter and was evacuated.' Capers twice got off of an evacuation helicopter so it could take off with the other wounded. When he did finally board a helo for extraction, the aircraft crashed. The wreck resulted in another man losing his leg and another individual losing a kidney. Retired Marine Lt. Col. David 'Bull' Gurfein, CEO of United American Patriots, has compared Capers' story to that of another reconnaissance Marine who did receive the Medal of Honor. Nearly a year after Capers heroics, 2nd Lt. Terrence Graves, also with 3rd Force Reconnaissance Company, was on a deep jungle patrol in the jungles of Quang Tri Province, South Vietnam, where he led an eight-Marine recon team behind enemy lines. Once his team made contact with a large NVA force, Graves exposed himself to repeated enemy fire to lead assaults, attend to wounded and command the element — all while suffering from a gunshot wound to his thigh. Shortly after boarding a medevac helicopter, Graves and another Marine got back off to search for another Marine until a second helicopter could arrive to retrieve the three of them. The helicopter that eventually picked up the three Marines was shot down. Graves died in the crash. Graves received the Medal of Honor for his actions. Capers' award, meanwhile, was initially a Bronze Star Medal that was later upgraded to a Silver Star Medal.
Scoop
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Te Aso o te Paula: Tuvalu marks 82 anniversary of Japanese bombing
Article – RNZ 'Every year, we remember this day – Te Aso o te Paula – through memorial services, stories, and fatele dances that recount the experiences of our people during the war.'Tuvalu marked Te Aso o te Paula (Bomb Day), the 82nd anniversary of the bombing of Funafuti in 1943, on Wednesday. Pacnews agency reported it is a day of remembrance, resilience, and has seen renewed calls for peace. On 23 April, 82 years ago, Japanese bombers targeted Funafuti. As the attack approached, around 50 locals had sought refuge inside a church. Corporal Fonnie Black Ladd, a US Marine stationed in Funafuti, realised the church would likely be targeted and tried to get the people to leave. Cabinet Minister Simon Kofe said he then took more direct action, 'he fired his weapon to force an evacuation. Moments later, the church was bombed and destroyed. His actions saved many lives.' Corporal Ladd's bravery earned him the Silver Star Medal, one of the United States' highest military honours. The day is commemorated each year through memorial services, storytelling, and fatele dances, which preserve the lived memories of war through Tuvaluan tradition and oral history. 'Every year, we remember this day – Te Aso o te Paula-through memorial services, stories, and fatele dances that recount the experiences of our people during the war. It's a powerful reminder that even the most remote and peaceful places, like Tuvalu, are not immune from the impacts of global conflict,' Kofe said. In a reflection that echoes with current global challenges, Kofe connected the past to present geopolitical tensions. 'Looking at the state of the world today, with rising tensions and growing uncertainty, this day reminds us that war affects all of us. 'And it reminds us why we must keep working for peace, justice and the protection of all people – no matter how far away they may seem.'
Scoop
24-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
Te Aso o te Paula: Tuvalu marks 82 anniversary of Japanese bombing
Tuvalu marked Te Aso o te Paula (Bomb Day), the 82nd anniversary of the bombing of Funafuti in 1943, on Wednesday. Pacnews agency reported it is a day of remembrance, resilience, and has seen renewed calls for peace. On 23 April, 82 years ago, Japanese bombers targeted Funafuti. As the attack approached, around 50 locals had sought refuge inside a church. Corporal Fonnie Black Ladd, a US Marine stationed in Funafuti, realised the church would likely be targeted and tried to get the people to leave. Cabinet Minister Simon Kofe said he then took more direct action, "he fired his weapon to force an evacuation. Moments later, the church was bombed and destroyed. His actions saved many lives." Corporal Ladd's bravery earned him the Silver Star Medal, one of the United States' highest military honours. The day is commemorated each year through memorial services, storytelling, and fatele dances, which preserve the lived memories of war through Tuvaluan tradition and oral history. "Every year, we remember this day - Te Aso o te Paula-through memorial services, stories, and fatele dances that recount the experiences of our people during the war. It's a powerful reminder that even the most remote and peaceful places, like Tuvalu, are not immune from the impacts of global conflict," Kofe said. In a reflection that echoes with current global challenges, Kofe connected the past to present geopolitical tensions. "Looking at the state of the world today, with rising tensions and growing uncertainty, this day reminds us that war affects all of us. "And it reminds us why we must keep working for peace, justice and the protection of all people - no matter how far away they may seem."
RNZ News
24-04-2025
- Politics
- RNZ News
Te Aso o te Paula: Tuvalu marks 82 anniversary of Japanese bombing
Kofe said Te Aso o te Paula "reminds us why we must keep working for peace, justice and the protection of all people". Photo: Facebook / Simon Kofe MP Tuvalu marked Te Aso o te Paula (Bomb Day), the 82nd anniversary of the bombing of Funafuti in 1943, on Wednesday. Pacnews agency reported it is a day of remembrance, resilience, and has seen renewed calls for peace. On 24 April, 82 years ago, Japanese bombers targeted Funafuti. As the attack approached, around 50 locals had sought refuge inside a church. Corporal Fonnie Black Ladd, a US Marine stationed in Funafuti, realised the church would likely be targeted and tried to get the people to leave. Cabinet Minister Simon Kofe said he then took more direct action, "he fired his weapon to force an evacuation. Moments later, the church was bombed and destroyed. His actions saved many lives." Corporal Ladd's bravery earned him the Silver Star Medal, one of the United States' highest military honours. The day is commemorated each year through memorial services, storytelling, and fatele dances, which preserve the lived memories of war through Tuvaluan tradition and oral history. "Every year, we remember this day - Te Aso o te Paula-through memorial services, stories, and fatele dances that recount the experiences of our people during the war. It's a powerful reminder that even the most remote and peaceful places, like Tuvalu, are not immune from the impacts of global conflict," Kofe said. In a reflection that echoes with current global challenges, Kofe connected the past to present geopolitical tensions. "Looking at the state of the world today, with rising tensions and growing uncertainty, this day reminds us that war affects all of us. "And it reminds us why we must keep working for peace, justice and the protection of all people - no matter how far away they may seem."
Yahoo
10-04-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ray Mendoza Believes the Ultra-Realistic ‘Warfare' Won't Trigger PTSD for Veterans: ‘The Truth Is Actually More Liberating for Us'
Ray Mendoza, co-writer and co-director of 'Warfare' with Alex Garland, presents as a serious-minded, if cordial conversationalist. The veteran, who served over 16 years as a Member of SEAL Team 5, won a Silver Star Medal for the very combat shown in daunting forensic verisimilitude in this film — and he's worked through degrees of trauma most civilians can only imagine. But he's got a covert humor to him as well, and when asked if the sheer volume and assaultive relentlessness of the film's sound mix might send certain filmgoers shakily fleeing out of the theater, his response is quick: 'That would be awesome.' As the film and Mendoza's entire career make plain, he's not a man for half-measures, and you see he was not just kidding as he explains what the sound mix does to replicate a warfighter's lived reality: 'I think what a lot of military personnel relate to is when you're in a position of that kind of vulnerability, your senses are really, really heightened, your switch is on, right? You have to be ready. You're listening for every abnormal sound: Is that people talking next door? Is it that one dog that barks at random things? Everything just seems really loud,' he told IndieWire. More from IndieWire 'Good American Family' Star Imogen Faith-Reid Unpacks That Perspective-Shifting Episode Cannes 2025 Snubs and Surprises: Where's Lynne Ramsay? Where's Park Chan-wook? For some viewers, given the steady tension and the blood-soaked moments of confusion and screams that make the adjective 'visceral' only too real, the film, now headed to IMAX screens and opening everywhere Friday, is a challenging watch. The early critical response has hovered north of the 90th percentile in favorability, though some reviewers argue the filmmakers have gone too narrow-focus on sheer authenticity, not to say shock value. The take-it-or-leave-it dare may be no surprise to those who have followed Garland's proclivity for avoiding the cinematic okey-dokes as he searches for broader societal meanings, including a dark view of cultish tourism ('The Beach'), the psychological limbo of existing as one's own avatar ('Ex Machina'), the sheer horrorscape of '28 Days Later,' and the damage done by a collapse of democracy that no longer seems wholly fictional ('Civil War,' a surprise hit a year ago). 'Civil War,' on which Mendoza served as military supervisor, bore messages of how grievance can turn to nation-wrecking political chaos. But the film insisted on a certain neutrality, a purposeful absence of judgments and lessons. It was a view of dystopia as seen from scalded sensibilities, a feeling that truly invaded the screen with the revelation of Jesse Plemons' uncredited appearance as a racist nationalist keeper of obscure oaths. That film's box office more than doubled its $50 million cost, and if the climactic special forces-style assault on the White House provided more unnerving excitement than resolution, the work on that sequence and throughout shooting formed a bond between Garland and Mendoza that energized them to mutually craft 'Warfare's' scalding authenticity. Garland handed the character work of directing to Mendoza to honor the project's one abiding rule: sticking without exception to an utterly accurate recounting. The directors hew to a fiction-free account of the often-breathless events of 'Warfare's' long night into day in Iraq in the November 2006 action that would be part of what war histories call the Battle of Ramadi. Appearing at a Los Angeles panel alongside Mendoza (and D'Pharoah Woon-A-Tai, who portrays Mendoza with a convincing stoicism that arose from his inquiries into the concerted memories of the SEAL's battle mates), Garland shared the duo's resolute ethic: 'This film [with a five-week shooting schedule] cost 13 and a half million dollars. If it cost $50 million, we wouldn't have been able to make it in the way we made it with a pure reliance on memory.' What both men agreed to eliminate, in the search for a 'forensic account' of the group's claustrophobic state of siege, was 'the other stuff, the backstories.' Garland characterized these as typical foxhole movie chatter, such as, 'One of these guys, their girlfriend just split up with him.' Asked of his motivations that same evening, Mendoza said he'd hoped the accuracy would be therapeutic in resolving his own trauma, 'Because it's something that I pushed down and created multiple shells around it — pretty much impenetrable…and it got to the point where I kind of hit a bottom where — you know, I have a daughter — and at some point I [said], 'I need to get out of this.'' In IndieWire's interview some days after the film began corralling positive reviews and the kind of viral online following that A24 has made its promotional strategy, Mendoza dug a bit deeper: 'I can tell you why I am glad. I think people in the beginning were worried that this would be triggering for PTSD, but I think [for his cadre who lived through and revisited the day], it'll be the opposite. The honesty and the truth is actually more liberating for us.' In 'Warfare,' Mendoza also tells the long-neglected but unforgettable story of his best service friend Elliott Miller (Cosmo Jarvis), who was so gruesomely wounded by an IED that, at first, the sight 'froze me in my tracks.' Then came the hellish moments of dragging the torn-up sniper out of the bullet-swarmed street, and staunching his wounds as best he could. Mendoza's resolute bravery was praised in the formal citation by the Navy that awarded him a Silver Star for valor. (The award has generally gone unmentioned, certainly by Mendoza.) In the course of being patched up and rescued, said Mendoza, 'Elliott flatlined two times.' The mission began in fairly standard form: The SEALs infiltrated a bleak and dusty corner of Ramadi that happened to overlook a marketplace and, unbeknownst to them, also sat across from the lair of the Iraqi insurgents. The Iraqis soon grew aware of the SEALs' presence in a commandeered apartment building, then started marshaling a deadly assault. As lead communicator for his group in the three-'element' mission as part of Task Unit Ramadi, the Ray we watch is an ad hoc guide to the action. His radio calls and requests for air support and for the armored vehicles that would come to evacuate the wounded and, ultimately, the unit make us lean into what the lingo may mean. A smart further directorial stratagem is to incorporate the grainy gray-and-white surveillance footage — often with a voiceover narration bearing observations and commands — so the audience can pursue a kind of desperate logic amid what must have been sheer madness. Even as sitting across from Mendoza may make you feel he's the most been-there-done-that person you've ever met, he keeps his humor at hand. Some levity was useful for their collaboration (in which Mendoza's interviews with his fellow vets became the points of emphasis). The actors endured a robust boot camp-like experience, bonding thoroughly as they then rehearsed 12 main sequences they'd enact. The film opens in bravura style as, true to what Mendoza and his buds in SEAL Team 5 would do as a mission spooled up: They stand in a gaggle, hopping and shouting as one, while watching their go-to superstitious-ritual banger, the slamming music video for 2004's 'Call on Me' by Swedish DJ and producer Eric Prydz. The structure of the film prior to its (literally) more explosive moments reveals that Mendoza, in tandem with Garland, unfolds by degrees. After the song, we're in an empty Ramadi street for a few moments before the men we will see in such extremis come snaking into frame, hugging the walls and hunting a hiding spot. The unfortunate local family who will be their unwilling hosts are treated throughout with a kind of rough-hewn dignity, isolated deep in the home, and we then settle in uneasily as the array of much-touted young actors who will play the several key roles parcel out clues to how they will meet the day's rigors. In service to the restrictions Garland has compared to stripped-down Dogme 95 film craft, Mendoza said, 'We didn't have to create anything because it's all based off memories. It's quiet because that's what happened, we were sitting there for that period of time. It wasn't like a creative decision —`Oh, I have a good idea, let's make it quiet at the beginning.' It's just what it was.' As a SEAL, Mendoza operated as a very cool hand and leader under fire — to all but himself, it seems: 'I don't remember how I was. I felt I was in some psychedelic — I was in and out. Things were appearing, disappearing. One minute, I was here; next minute, I wasn't here.' Reading between the lines, you can feel Mendoza's quiet pride in fulfilling the trust that helped the group embrace savage memories as a re-committed cohort: 'It's like somebody who's been misrepresented as part of any group, right? You start making movies or telling stories about a group feeling invisible or misunderstood, and, hopefully you can say, finally, someone's paying attention. Someone really understands this. And I can use that as a way to describe what I was feeling, or what I went through.' 'Warfare' opens Friday, April 11 from A24. Best of IndieWire The 27 Best War Movies of the 21st Century, from 'Dunkirk' to 'The Hurt Locker' The 17 Best Thrillers Streaming on Netflix in April, from 'Fair Play' to 'Emily the Criminal' Nightmare Film Shoots: The Most Grueling Films Ever Made, from 'Deliverance' to 'Mad Max' to 'Avatar 2'
