Ralph Puckett Jr
Ralph was born on the 8th of December, 1926, in Tifton, Georgia and as a young boy, the uniform of Boy Scouts always caught his attention and prompted him to want to be a Scout. He later recalled that becoming a Scout was more important to him than getting a driver’s license. Ralph earned the Eagle Scout Award in the minimum amount of time required, two years, followed by Bronze and Eagle Palms. His first taste of leadership was within the Scouts where he became a patrol leader and senior patrol leader.
Continuing on with serving others, Ralph attended the United States Military Academy, where he graduated in 1949 and was commissioned a Second Lieutenant. He was soon sent to Okinawa, Japan for occupation duty and he then volunteered for the Eighth Army Ranger Company. As a First Lieutenant and company commander, Ralph had five and a half weeks to train with his company before deploying to Korea in support of the Korean War. It was his actions on Hill 205 near Unsan that would earn him the Distinguished Service Cross, now upgraded to the Medal of Honor. The citation reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty: First Lieutenant Ralph Puckett, Jr. distinguished himself by acts of gallantry and intrepidity above and beyond the call of duty, while serving as the Commander, 8th U.S. Army Ranger Company during the period of 25 November 1950 through 26 November 1950, in Korea. As his unit commenced a daylight attack on Hill 205, the enemy directed mortar, machine gun, and small arms fire against the advancing force. To obtain supporting fire, First Lieutenant Puckett mounted the closest tank, exposing himself to the deadly enemy fire. Leaping from the tank, he shouted words of encouragement to his men and began to lead the Rangers in the attack. Almost immediately, enemy fire threatened the success of the attack by pinning down one platoon. Leaving the safety of his position with full knowledge of the danger, First Lieutenant Puckett intentionally ran across an open area three times to draw enemy fire, thereby allowing the Rangers to locate and destroy the enemy positions and to seize Hill 205. During the night, the enemy launched a counterattack that lasted four hours. Over the course of the counterattack, the Rangers were inspired and motivated by the extraordinary leadership and courageous example exhibited by First Lieutenant Puckett. As a result, five human wave attacks by a battalion strength enemy element were repulsed. During the first attack, First Lieutenant Puckett was wounded by grenade fragments, but refused evacuation and continually directed artillery support that decimated attacking enemy formations, repeatedly abandoned positions of relative safety to make his way from foxhole to foxhole to check the company’s perimeter, and distribute ammunition amongst the Rangers. When the enemy launched a sixth attack, it became clear to First Lieutenant Puckett that the position was untenable due to the unavailability of supporting artillery fire. During this attack, two enemy mortar rounds landed in his foxhole, inflicting grievous wounds which limited his mobility. Knowing his men were in a precarious situation, First Lieutenant Puckett commanded the Rangers to leave him behind and evacuate the area. Feeling a sense of duty to aid him, the Rangers refused the order and staged an effort to retrieve him from the foxhole while still under fire from the enemy. Ultimately, the Rangers succeeded in retrieving First Lieutenant Puckett and they moved to the bottom of the hill, where First Lieutenant Puckett called for devastating artillery fire on the top of the enemy controlled hill. First Lieutenant Puckett’s extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty were in keeping with the highest traditions of military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the United States Army.
Ralph was offered a medical discharge for his wounds but he refused and went on to serve at the US Army Ranger School, for two years, and at West Point. Before those positions, Ralph recovered at a hospital at Fort Benning, Georgia, which is where he met Jean Martin. They were married almost two years later and in 1955 Ralph was instrumental in establishing a Ranger like program in Colombia. This program became La Escuela Militar de Lanceros and it is the most respected Ranger Course in Latin America, providing enlisted and junior officers with tactical leadership skills. Ralph would then complete Special Forces training in 1960 and go on to command B and C teams of the 10th Special Forces Group in Germany.
Ralph was a Lieutenant Colonel in command of the 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry (Airborne), 101st Airborne Division when they deployed to Vietnam in 1967. He received a second Distinguished Service Cross for his leadership during a night-long defense near Chu Lai, where a last stand was being prepared.
Ralph retired from the Army as a Colonel in 1971 after 22 years of service. He founded a leadership program, Discovery, Inc, in Herndon, Virginia, and then moved to Atlanta and set up the Discovery Program at The Westminster Schools. After being the executive vice president of a computer software and hardware company, Ralph retired to Columbus, Georgia and remained actively involved with the Ranger School at Fort Benning. He was inducted into the US Army Ranger Hall of Fame in 1992 and served as the Honorary Colonel for the 75th Ranger Regiment from 1996 to 2006. He is also an Honorary Instructor at The Infantry School, was named the 1998 Ranger of the Year for the Ranger Infantry Companies of the Korean War, and was added to the Tifton Wall of Fame in 2004.
In April of 2021, it was announced that Ralph Puckett Jr would have his first Distinguished Service Cross upgraded to the Medal of Honor and on the 21st of May, 2021, a ceremony was held at the White House. In addition to receiving the Medal of Honor from President Biden and having his family, retired Lieutenant Colonel John Lock (who pushed for the upgrade), and retired Master Sergeant Merle Simpson (former heavy weapons squad leader that fought in the battle) in attendance, South Korean President Moon Jae-in was also in attendance and spoke at the ceremony, calling Ralph “a true hero of the Korean War”. At the time of writing this, Ralph is 94 years old, one of four living Korean War Medal of Honor recipients, and lives in Columbus, Georgia with his wife of 68 years.
