The U.S. Military Academy honored one of its remarkable graduates, retired Col. Ralph Puckett Jr., with a Medal of Honor Plaque Unveiling Ceremony in the Inchon Sallyport May 23 at West Point. The event was hosted by USMA Superintendent Lt. Gen. Steven W. Gilland.
Born in Tifton, Georgia, Puckett graduated from USMA and received his commission as an Infantry officer in 1949. Assigned to occupation duty in Okinawa, he volunteered for the Eighth Army Ranger Company, which was formed shortly after the Korean War began in 1950.
Selected as the company’s commander, 1st Lt. Puckett had five-and-a-half weeks to train his Rangers before being committed to combat operations. While attached to Task Force Dolvin and leading the advance of the 25th Infantry Division on Nov. 25, 1950, Puckett and his Rangers attacked and secured Hill 205 in the vicinity of Unsan, Korea.
Although outnumbered 10 to one, Puckett and his Rangers defeated five successive Chinese counterattacks over four hours that night and into the early morning hours of Nov. 26. Finally, on the sixth assault, with supporting artillery fires unavailable, the Ranger company was overrun in hand-to-hand combat. Having suffered multiple serious wounds, Puckett was unable to move. Despite orders to abandon him, fellow Rangers fought their way to his side and evacuated him to safety. For his actions, Puckett was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.
While offered a medical discharge for his wounds, Puckett refused and continued to serve on active duty at assignments that included the U.S. Army Ranger School and West Point. As a Ranger advisor to the Columbian Army, Puckett established the prestigious Escuela de Lanceros program. Later, after completing Special Forces training in 1960, Puckett commanded B and C teams in the 10th Special Forces Group in Bad Tolz, Germany.
“He feared no man, he feared no situation and he feared no enemy,” said retired Gen. Jay Hedrix. “Clearly, a unique, courageous Soldier in combat and even more importantly, in my opinion, Col. Puckett was an ultimate infantry leader.”
Retiring in 1971, he became the national programs coordinator of Outward Bound, Inc., and subsequently established Discovery, Inc., a leadership and teamwork development program that focused on “Personal growth through safe adventure.”
In 1992, he was an inaugural inductee into the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame and, from 1996 to 2006, he served as the first honorary colonel of the 75th Ranger Regiment. Other honors followed, including an appointment as an ambassador of goodwill by the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, selection as a 2004 distinguished graduate of the U.S. Military Academy, and being chosen as a 2007 recipient of the Infantry’s Doughboy Award.
Still very active in military affairs and his local community, Puckett lives in Columbus, Georgia, with his wife of 70 years. They have two daughters, one of whom is deceased, a son and six grandchildren. His awards include two Distinguished Service Crosses (one of which was upgraded to the Medal of Honor); two Silver Stars; two Legions of Merit; two Bronze Stars with V device for valor; five Purple Hearts; 10 Air Medals; the Army Commendation Medal; and the World War II Victory Medal, among others. In addition, he earned the Combat Infantryman’s Badge with star, Special Forces Tab, Ranger Tab, Master Parachutist Wings, Glider Badge and Columbian Lancero Ranger Badge.
At Puckett’s official Medal of Honor ceremony at the White House on May 21, 2021, President Joseph R. Biden said of Puckett, “He leads from the front. He leads by example. He leads with heart. He is a Ranger, and that’s how Rangers lead.”
South Korean President Moon Jae-In added about Puckett at the ceremony, “Col. Puckett is a true hero of the Korean War. With extraordinary valor and leadership, he completed missions until the very end, defending Hill 205 and fighting many more battles requiring equal valiance. Without the sacrifice of veterans, including Col. Puckett and the Eighth Army Ranger Company, freedom and democracy we enjoy today couldn’t have blossomed in Korea.”
During the Medal of Honor Plaque Unveiling Ceremony at West Point, Gilland expressed much praise for the academy’s latest Long Gray Line member to receive the nation’s highest award for valor – the Medal of Honor.
Gilland explained it was a humble privilege to have him back at the academy for the long overdue recognition. He mentioned that July is the 70th anniversary of the armistice that brought the Korean War to an end. Gen. James Van Fleet, the commander of Eighth Army during the war, referred to the men and women who bravely fought as “the greatest generation of Americans we have ever produced,” which was decades before Tom Brokaw penned his famous book, “The Greatest Generation.”
“Col. Puckett is here today as an ambassador of that greatest generation,” Gilland said. “An exemplar of the courage, sacrifice and selfless service that defined that generation. When our nation’s call to service came, when duty demanded … Ralph Puckett, like so many others, would step forward to answer the call and say, ‘send me.’”
Puckett enlisted in the Army for two years during World War II, and then earned an appointment to West Point with the USMA Class of 1949. His service led to serving during the Korean War, where a then 1st Lt. Puckett volunteered for service with a newly formed Ranger light infantry company specializing in irregular warfare.
Gilland spoke about Puckett and his company’s “incredible story of heroism, courage under fire and inspirational leadership” at Hill 205, the various highlights during his 22-year career to include returning to West Point as the commander of First Regiment, that era’s version of a Regimental tactical officer, up to receiving the 2004 West Point Association of Graduates Distinguished Graduate Award.
Puckett’s plaque dedication had him join the other 76 plaques around West Point honoring all the Medal of Honor recipient graduates.
“These plaques, which the Corps of Cadets pass by every day, serve to help tell a story about our history and those who helped shape it,” Gilland said. “But these plaques are more than historical markers to simply educate us – they also serve to inspire us – as they are memorials to excellence and character, and to the courage, devotion to duty, honorable leadership and the selfless service to some of the heroes of the Long Gray Line, like Col. Ralph Puckett. They stand to help us remember why we serve and to reflect upon our values and the ideals of Duty, Honor and Country.”
Gilland, a USMA 1990 graduate, then looked at Puckett as he concluded his speech, choking back the words with emotion, and said, “You inspire all of us through your actions and example. You embody what it means to be a leader of character.
“Many years ago, you wrote in your book that the greatest compliment for a leader is when their Soldiers say, ‘if I go to war again, I want to serve under you,’” Gilland said. “I know I speak for everyone here today when I say that we all would want to serve under you. We all want to serve with leaders like you. And we all want to aspire to the example of excellence and character you’ve set – so we can be a leader like you.”