76 U.S. VETERANS MAGAZINE WWW.USVETERANSMAGAZINE.COM
FEATURE
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resident Joe Biden recently presented the nation's highest military honor to retired Col. Ralph Puckett Jr., for his actions as a first lieutenant and the Eighth Army Ranger Company commander during the Korean conflict on Nov. 25-26, 1950. It has been seven decades since the Battle on Hill 205, where Puckett led his 57 Rangers and Korean soldiers against six battalion-sized attacks, marking the start of China's involvement in the Korean conflict against U.S. and U.N. forces. The company dealt with freezing weather conditions without proper cold-weather gear. Food, ammunition and supplies were also limited, as supply lines struggled to
President Biden Awards
Medal of Honor to Retired Ranger
By Devon L. Suits
keep up with the Army's advance. The intelligence briefing indicated that there were 25,000 Chinese troops in the area, Biden said. [Puckett] believed in the fundamentals. It was how he trained his men, and how he had hand-picked them, chosen from the ranks of cooks, clerks and mechanics to [become] the first Ranger company since World War II. Outnumbered nearly 10-to-1, Puckett directed his company and waves of artillery support through the constant barrage of heavy enemy small-arms and mortar fire. He continually exposed himself to enemy fire as he maneuvered out of this foxhole to scan his defense perimeter and motivate his soldiers. Puckett was injured three times throughout the attack. A mortar attack severely injured him during the final Chinese assault. As the enemy overran Hill 205, he ordered his Rangers to leave him behind and withdraw. Puckett watched as three Chinese fighters drew closer, bayoneting and shooting the wounded. Disobeying their commander's orders, two of his Rangers charged and killed the three enemies and pulled their commander out of harm's way. They did not hold the Hill but the Rangers extracted a high price, Biden said. [The Korean Conflict] is sometimes called the 'Forgotten War.' Those men who were there under 1st Lt. Puckett's command
BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP VIA GETTY IMAGES; INSET: U.S. DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE, COURTESY OF COL. RALPH PUCKETT
President Joe Biden presents the Medal of Honor to 94-year-old retired Army colonel Ralph Puckett, Jr., for conspicuous gallantry while serving during the Korean War, in a ceremony in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC on May 21, 2021. Army Col. Ralph Puckett Jr. went above and beyond the call of duty as the Eighth Army Ranger Company's commanding officer during a multi-day operation in North Korea that started on Nov. 25, 1950.
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