Col. John Ripley of Radford to Receive Medal of Honor

John Ripley, who grew up in Radford and later became a war hero in Vietnam, will soon receive the Medal of Honor—the highest military decoration. In 1972, then-Captain Ripley stalled a North Vietnamese attack by blowing up a bridge at the Cua Viet River, making multiple dangerous trips under the bridge to rig 500 pounds of explosives. He survived and the invasion was stopped. In 2026, a bill championed by Rep. Morgan Griffith succeeded in securing the honor. Ripley's family will accept the Medal of Honor at a White House ceremony in June 2026.