This past week, I was forever grateful to attend my second Military Influencer Conference. The location was Tampa, Florida.
While that might not mean much to you, I witnessed history.
Although I couldn’t attend the ceremony in Tampa at the Special Operations Memorial with Major Capers, a Medal of Honor Recipient, I met him in person the next day and got his book signed.
https://youtube.com/shorts/jQf8iHl_b8k?is=lBJFszQv_XKmv3z4
Last year I took pictures with him in Atlanta and at the Mighty 25 Gala.
I’m forever grateful for the BLK OPS team that went the distance in this historic moment.
Major Capers was one of two Marine Corps Legends recently awarded the Medal of Honor and inducted into the Hall of Heroes.
The Iron Major: James Capers Jr.’s long road to the Medal of Honor
On September 24, 2026, during the MIC, a special session entitled “Honor Delayed” featured Major Capers and other dignitaries.
Those dignitaries included Christopher McPhee (Secretary, BLK OPS); Manny Piñeiro (Chief Operating Officer (interim), USO Arlington, Virginia Founder & President, Making Time Count, LLC); and Benjamin (Ben) Lloyd Crump, an American attorney who specializes in civil rights and catastrophic personal injury cases such as wrongful death lawsuits.
As an audience member listening to all four men’s conversations, along with the moderator, Richard Brookshire, I found it truly time well spent.
Richard is part of the Black Veterans Project.
About Us | Black Veterans Project
Notably, Ben Crump said President Trump wanted to erase Dorie Miller’s history. Many of us know that Doris “Dorie” Miller was a U.S. Navy sailor, the first Black recipient of the Navy Cross, and a nominee for the Medal of Honor. Miller, a mess attendant second class aboard the battleship USS West Virginia, helped carry wounded sailors to safety during the attack on Pearl Harbor.
The Navy announced that the next American aircraft carrier will bear the proud name of USS Doris Miller, which is now in production.
So much of our history has been erased by the power of the pen, and I pray this doesn’t happen with Dorie Miller.
Over the last two-plus years, I have followed and listened to various documentaries produced by BLK OPS and am forever grateful and honored to see their commitment pay off with Major Capers finally receiving his Medal of Honor.
During this year’s Mighty 25 celebration, I heard the Guest speaker say, “Influence without impact is just noise,” followed by, “The best honors are treated like fuel to keep going.”
When I think about what it took for Major Capers to earn his Medal of Honor over 50 years later, I know several individuals were fueled to keep going until it was done.
That is why today’s blog title, “Forever Grateful,” resonates with me this Monday morning.
Today, I challenge you to reflect on something you are forever grateful for this past week.
“To all those broken or hopeless, I have learned this: Be grateful for every single person who was part of your story. The ones that hurt you. The ones that helped you. The ones that came, and the ones that left. They all taught you. Don’t think for a moment that any of it was random. There are no oversights with God. Only perfectly crafted chapters in each unique journey.” ~Yasmin Mogahed
Blog source: https://mckinleysthoughts.com/forever-grateful/
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