Ralph Puckett Jr., awarded Medal of Honor for heroism during the Korean War, dies at 97

Ralph Puckett Jr., a retired Army colonel awarded the Medal of Honor seven decades after he was wounded leading a company of outnumbered Army Rangers in battle during the Korean War, has died at age 97.

Puckett died peacefully Monday at his home in Columbus, Georgia, according to the Striffler-Hamby Mortuary, which is handling funeral arrangements.

President Joe Biden lauded Puckett for his “extraordinary heroism and selflessness above and beyond the call of duty” while presenting the retired colonel with the nation’s highest military honor at the White House in 2021. Biden noted the award was “more than 70 years overdue.”

“He’s always believed that all that mattered to be a Ranger was if you had the guts and the brains,” Biden said.

Puckett was a newly commissioned Army officer when he volunteered for the 8th Army Ranger Company that was formed soon after the Korean War began in 1950. Despite his inexperience, Puckett ended up being chosen as the unit’s commander. He had less than six weeks to train his soldiers before they joined the fight.

“I said to myself: ‘Dear God, please don’t let me get a bunch of good guys killed,’” Puckett told the Ledger-Enquirer of Columbus in a 2014 interview.

<bsp-list-loadmore data-module="" class=«PageListStandardB» data-gtm-region=«READ MORE» data-gtm-topic=«No Value» data-show-loadmore=«true» data-gtm-modulestyle=«List B»> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> READ MORE </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh says 3 of his sons were killed in an Israeli airstrike in Gaza </bsp-custom-headline> <bsp-custom-headline custom-headline=«div»> The Latest | Hamas leader Haniyeh says 3 of his sons were killed in an Israeli airstrike in