President Joe Biden awarded the Medal of Honor to decorated US Army Colonel Ralph Puckett in a ceremony at the White House on Friday, May 21.
Puckett, a 94-year-old retired Army officer who fought in the Korean War and the Vietnam War, received honors for acts of heroism as the Commanding Officer of the Eighth Army Ranger Company on November 25 and 26, 1950, during the Battle of the Chongchon River.
First Lieutenant Puckett, who had graduated from West Point in 1949, led his unit in the defense of Hill 205, a strategic point on the river, deliberately exposing himself to enemy fire “several times” so his men could discern the locations of the enemy.
Becoming seriously wounded in the battle, Puckett ordered his unit to leave him behind and withdraw from the area. While still under opposition fire, the Rangers disobeyed Puckett’s order and successfully carried the First Lieutenant to safety.
“Ralph continued to fight even after he was wounded. Never caring for himself. Always caring for his men,” said Colonel Robert Choppa in a video shared by the US Army. “It’s always interesting to me that his prayer before he went to combat was, ‘God, please let me take care of these men and don’t get them killed’.”
In the Army video, Puckett credits his father’s influence, saying he taught him “what a man should be.”
Biden placed the medal on the veteran, whose “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.”
Puckett had previously been awarded the Purple Heart, Silver Star, Air Medal, and the Bronze Star.
from KRON4 https://ift.tt/3vsJI6w
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