Nicholas Dockery WG’27, a student in Wharton’s MBA Program for Executives, was awarded the Medal of Honor, the country’s highest military award, for valor in combat while serving in Afghanistan.
The medal was presented by President Donald Trump W’68 during a White House ceremony in June.
A retired major in the US Army, Dockery received the honor for rallying his platoon and allied Afghan forces during an October 2, 2012, ambush by Taliban fighters. Among other heroic actions, he saved a wounded comrade from enemy capture and rendered the soldier lifesaving aid, pushed another soldier behind cover and shielded him from a grenade blast, and refused to leave the battle until every wounded soldier reached safety.
Dockery also holds the Silver Star for a 2018 firefight that left more than 100 enemy fighters dead, as well as a Soldier’s Medal for risking his life while off duty to stop an armed assailant and help a wounded civilian in December 2025. His other decorations include the Legion of Merit, multiple Bronze Stars, two Purple Hearts, the Nininger Award for Valor at Arms, and the MacArthur Award for Leadership, making him one of the most highly decorated soldiers of his generation.
First awarded in 1862, the Medal of Honor has gone to roughly 3,500 recipients, including four Penn alumni for their actions during the Civil War.
