1. Ralph Puckett led the Eighth Army Ranger Company during the Korean War and was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his actions on November 25,1950, when his company of 51 Rangers was attacked by several hundred Chinese soldiers at the battle for Hill 205.
Ralph Puckett later served in the Vietnam War and retired from the army in 1971 as a colonel.
Ralph Puckett received the award from President Joe Biden during a ceremony at the White House on May 21,2021.
Ralph Puckett was born on December 8,1926 in Tifton, Georgia.
Ralph Puckett grew up in Tifton, which is in South Georgia.
Ralph Puckett attended Tifton High School, then finished high school at Baylor School, at that time a military academy, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
Ralph Puckett enrolled at Georgia Tech in 1943 before enlisting in the US Army during World War II.
Ralph Puckett enlisted in the US Army Air Corps Enlisted Reserve in 1943 to become a pilot, undertaking his pre-aviation cadet training at Georgia Tech.
Ralph Puckett tried to remain in service with the Air Corps, but after it became clear there would be no chance at flight training, he chose to be discharged.
Ralph Puckett obtained an appointment to the United States Military Academy in July 1945.
In 1949, Ralph Puckett graduated from the United States Military Academy, was commissioned as an infantry second lieutenant, deployed to Japan, and immediately volunteered to be assigned with the Rangers.
Ralph Puckett led the Rangers during the attack, shouted words of encouragement and got supporting fire from the closest tank.
Several times, Ralph Puckett was forced to call in "danger close" artillery fire.
Ralph Puckett, who had previously suffered a thigh wound, incurred several wounds to his feet, buttocks, and an arm when two mortars landed in his fox hole.
Ralph Puckett was hospitalized for 11 months due to the wounds he suffered that night.
Ralph Puckett was initially awarded a Distinguished Service Cross before it was upgraded to a Medal of Honor in 2021.
Ralph Puckett was awarded a second Distinguished Service Cross for heroic leadership in August 1967.
Ralph Puckett retired in 1971 after 22 years of active duty to become the national programs coordinator of Outward Bound, Inc He subsequently established leadership and teamwork development program Discovery, Inc After several years of successful leadership at Discovery, Inc in Herndon, Virginia, Ralph Puckett moved to Atlanta and began the Discovery Program at The Westminster Schools.
Ralph Puckett was an inaugural inductee into the US Army Ranger Hall of Fame in 1992.
Ralph Puckett served as the Honorary Colonel for the 75th Ranger Regiment from 1996 to 2006 for which he was awarded the Distinguished Civilian Service Award.
Ralph Puckett often spoke at graduations and other functions at Fort Benning and was an Honorary Instructor at The Infantry School.
Ralph Puckett was inducted into the Order of St Maurice in 1997, and was the 1998 Ranger of the Year for the Ranger Infantry Companies of the Korean War.
Ralph Puckett was inducted into the USAF Gathering of Eagles in 1999.
Ralph Puckett was added to the Tifton, Georgia, Wall of Fame in 2004.
Ralph Puckett was the author of Words for Warriors: A Professional Soldier's Notebook and numerous media articles.
Ralph Puckett died on April 8,2024, at his home in Columbus, Georgia, at the age of 97.
Ralph Puckett repeatedly abandoned positions of relative safety to make his way from foxhole to foxhole, to check the company's perimeter and to distribute ammunition amongst the Rangers.