Biden awards 94-year-old Korean War vet with Medal of Honor

WASHINGTON — President Joe Biden on Friday awarded retired Army Col. Ralph Puckett Jr. with the nation’s highest military award, the Medal of Honor, for “acts of gallantry and intrepidity” during the Korean War.

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The honor came 70 years after Puckett put his life at risk, drawing enemy fire numerous times, to protect his men while serving as commander of the 8th U.S. Army Ranger Company in November 1950.

“Today we are hosting a true American hero, awarding an honor that is long overdue. More than 70 years overdue,” Biden said Friday during a ceremony for Puckett.

Puckett was a first lieutenant on Nov. 25, 1950, when he and his 51-man unit began an attack on what was called Hill 205, according to White House officials.

“There were 25,000 Chinese troops in the area, outnumbering U.S. and Korean forces three to two,” Biden said.

Officials said Puckett mounted a tank, exposing himself to enemy fire, to get supporting fire. Later, he left safety of his position to draw enemy fire by running three times across an open area.

When they reached the top of the hill, Puckett and his men found it abandoned -- though they knew the fight was far from over. Over the ensuing hours, the company held Hill 205 through multiple waves of attack.

“During the fight, Puckett abandoned the relative safety of his foxhole, moving from man to man, encouraging them in the fight, checking that the perimeter was holding,” Biden said. “He took a grenade fragment in his left thigh, but Puckett refused to be evacuated. He was a ranger. He led his men from the front.”

Puckett also suffered a wound to his shoulder, the president said.

“About 2:30 a.m., after more than four hours of near-nonstop fighting, the sixth wave began,” Biden said. “By this time … many rangers had been killed. Those that were left were exhausted, outnumbered and dangerously short of ammunition and grenades.”

The president said Puckett distributed all but eight bullets to his men.

“Two mortar rounds landed directly in Puckett’s foxhole, tearing through both his feet and his backside and left arm and shoulder,” Biden said.

“Puckett’s rangers had been overwhelmed. He himself had been badly wounded. He told one man who found him on the ground to leave him behind, but that is not the ranger creed. The private ran for help and soon, the rangers charged back up the hill, fighting off advancing Chines soldiers, retrieving their commander. They had to drag him down the hill, with Lt. Puckett reminding them and himself that he could take the pain.”

He was loaded onto a tank to evacuate after calling for a final barrage on Hill 205.

“They did not hold the hill, but they extracted a high price,” Biden said. “Korea is sometimes called the Forgotten War, but those men who were there under Lt. Puckett’s command, they will never forget his bravery. They will never forget that he was right by their side throughout every minute of it.”

South Korean President Moon Jae-in attended Friday’s ceremony, making him the first foreign leader to attend such an event.

“Without the sacrifice of veterans including Col. Puckett and the 8th Army Ranger Company, the freedom and democracy we enjoy today … could not have blossomed in Korea,” he said.

Puckett also served in the Vietnam War. He retired from active duty in 1971 and became the national programs coordinator of Outward Bound Inc., an outdoor education group. In 1992, he was an inaugural inductee into the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame.

Puckett lives in Columbus, Georgia, with his wife of 68 years, Jean. The couple has two daughters, one of whom is deceased; a son; and six grandchildren.

Cox Media Group