American Snippets

Major James Capers, Jr. is the son of a Sharecropper who was falsely convicted for a crime and fled to another state. Capers grew up in a time that racism ran rampant and the Jim Crow era was in full swing, but that did not stop him from achieving one extraordinary accomplishment after another throughout a storied career in the United States Marine Corps. His memoir, Faith Through the Storm, offers an in-depth journey of Major Capers’ life as a young Black American before, during, and after his service. From trauma, to triumph, to tragedy and heroism on the streets of America and the jungles of Vietnam, Major Capers’ story is the kind that legends are made of. Major Capers became the first African-American Marine to receive a battlefield commission while in 3rd Force Recon. He was the first African- American Marine Officer featured on a Marine Recruitment Poster. His incredible courage and leadership led to being inducted into the Commando Hall of Honor for special forces, receiving the Silver Star, Bronze St