"Now that's not coming off," Trump joked after tying the prestigious medal around the neck of Army Major Nicholas Dockery.

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.

The president was unable to attach the medal, so ended up tying the blue-ribboned military honor tightly around the veteran’s neck

For decades, young midshipmen at the U.S. Naval Academy have walked by “Ripley at the Bridge,” a dramatic diorama within the Memorial Hall foyer in Bancroft Hall featuring Marine Capt. John Ripley dangling from a girder over the Cua Viet River.

Colonel Donald Ballard shares story of heroism with service members