More than 54 years after he crawled beneath the Dong Ha Bridge to stop a North Vietnamese armored invasion, Marine Col. John Ripley entered the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes on Thursday. For generations of Marines, the moment represented recognition of one of the most legendary acts of battlefield leadership in the Vietnam War. But for Ripley's son, Tom, the ceremony was about far more than a medal. In an exclusive interview with Military.com following the ceremony, Tom Ripley said the Medal of Honor awarded to his father represents the Marines who fought beside him, the military spouse who held their family together through two Vietnam tours, and the generations of service members who carried the story forward for more than half a century. "This is not my award," Ripley said. "When people would stand up and clap, I would clap too." As applause filled the Pentagon's Hall of Heroes, Ripley found himself thinking not just about his father, but about the hundreds of Marines, sailors and South Vietnamese service members whose sacrifices became part of the Dong Ha Bridge story.
Throughout his remarks at the Pentagon, Ripley repeatedly returned to a lesson his father taught throughout his life: Nothing great is ever accomplished by the individual. It's always accomplished by the team.
