{"id":26764,"date":"2021-05-21T20:50:12","date_gmt":"2021-05-21T20:50:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/uncategorized\/2021\/05\/21\/army-ranger-veteran-receives-medal-of-honor-for-korean-war-heroism\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:29:07","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:29:07","slug":"army-ranger-veteran-receives-medal-of-honor-for-korean-war-heroism","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/airforcetimes\/veterans\/2021\/05\/21\/army-ranger-veteran-receives-medal-of-honor-for-korean-war-heroism\/","title":{"rendered":"Army Ranger veteran receives Medal of Honor for Korean War heroism"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Retired Army Col. Ralph Puckett<\/a> received the Medal of Honor<\/a> from President Joe Biden during a Friday afternoon ceremony in the East Room of the White House.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 94-year-old, whose family also attended the event, earned the nation\u2019s highest military decoration for his actions 70 years ago atop Hill 205, which overlooked the Chongchon River in what is now North Korea. The battle was part of a counteroffensive that marked the Chinese entrance into the Korean War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Then-1st Lt. Puckett led the 8th Army Ranger Company in an assault to seize the hill from Chinese troops Nov. 25, 1950. They then defended it against overwhelming odds into the early morning hours, with Puckett coordinating the defense and calling in artillery strikes while showing no concern for his own safety.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Badly wounded, Puckett told his soldiers to leave him behind as they withdrew. They didn\u2019t listen, nor did they ever forget, Biden said at the ceremony Friday.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThose men who were there under…Puckett\u2019s command never forgot his bravery,\u201d said the president, who called the Korean War by its ominous nickname \u2014 \u201cThe Forgotten War.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

South Korea\u2019s president, Moon Jae-in, also attended the ceremony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWithout the sacrifice of veterans like Col. Puckett and the 8th Army Ranger Company,\u201d Moon Jae-in said, \u201cthe freedom and democracy we enjoy today couldn\u2019t have blossomed in Korea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"
President Joe Biden presents the Medal of Honor to retired U.S. Army Col. Ralph Puckett, in the East Room of the White House, Friday, May 21, 2021, in Washington. (AP Photo\/Alex Brandon)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

On the eve of the ceremony Puckett reflected on the honor and the actions that earned it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puckett\u2019s medal was upgraded from the Distinguished Service Cross he received following his unit\u2019s desperate, outnumbered defensive action.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puckett is a legendary Army Ranger who also earned a second Distinguished Service Cross, two Silver Stars and two Bronze Stars for valor in combat. He retired in 1971 after also serving in the Vietnam War.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The retired colonel offered his thoughts during a telephone press conference Thursday evening.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was quite a shock when I received a call from [President Joe Biden],\u201d said Puckett, who learned of his imminent award in a call with the commander-in-chief<\/a> April 30. \u201cI never thought he\u2019d be calling to speak to me. I was surprised by how humble, ordinary and friendly he sounded.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puckett attended the White House ceremony in one of his uniforms from 1949, when he earned his commission from the U.S. Military Academy<\/a> in West Point, New York. \u201cIt means our country has survived those many years,\u201d he noted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The gravity of the moment wasn\u2019t lost on Puckett, either.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s certainly the most important medal that we have in our country, and I am certainly honored to be the recipient,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the former honorary colonel of the 75th Ranger Regiment also explained that his troops that night in Korea deserve the credit instead of him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s important for them to know that they\u2019re the ones who did the job,\u201d Puckett said. \u201cThey\u2019re the ones who did the fighting; they suffered the wounds; they suffered the deaths. They\u2019re the ones who deserve the credit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puckett was inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame in 1992.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Puckett was born in Tifton, Georgia, and now lives near Fort Benning, where he maintains close ties to the 75th Ranger Regiment. In April, he visited and offered words of encouragement to Rangers participating in the annual Best Ranger Competition at the Army post.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Badly wounded, Col. Puckett told his soldiers to leave him behind as they withdrew. 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