'A Giant Of A Man': Joni Ernst Honors The Last Surviving Korean War Medal Of Honor Recipient

last year

During remarks on the Senate floor, Sen. Joni Ernst (R-IA) paid her respects to the late Colonel Ralph Puckett.

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Transcript

00:00 Mr. President, typically, legends emerge long after individuals or events they commemorate

00:08 have passed into history. However, the legend of Colonel Ralph Puckett was present among us for

00:19 decades. Ralph Puckett Jr. was a giant of a man in his accomplishments, duties, and passion.

00:30 He started on his journey into legendary history when he graduated from West Point in 1949,

00:41 commissioning as an infantry officer. Following the outbreak of the Korean conflict in 1950,

00:50 Lieutenant Puckett volunteered to command the newly created 8th Army Ranger Company.

00:58 This freshly minted lieutenant was charged with turning non-infantry soldiers into battle-ready

01:10 rangers in only five and a half weeks. And to no one's surprise, he did it. On November 25, 1950,

01:22 the rangers dismounted their vehicles under heavy fire and secured Hill 205 against an onslaught

01:32 of North Korean fighters who outnumbered them nearly 10 to 1. Lieutenant Puckett was instrumental

01:44 in this effort. He called in supporting artillery fires dangerously close to his position. He

01:53 intentionally exposed himself on six occasions, allowing the enemy force to focus on him while

02:04 enabling his men to locate and kill the enemy. Lieutenant Puckett was wounded twice in this

02:15 battle, but he refused to be evacuated and instead chose to continue to lead his men

02:24 while they repelled five consecutive counterattacks. It wasn't until the sixth

02:32 counterattack with supporting artillery fires unavailable and in the face of almost certain

02:41 death that Lieutenant Puckett ordered his men to leave him behind due to his injuries and the chaos

02:52 surrounding the close quarters fighting. Instead of leaving their commander,

03:00 two rangers fought their way to Lieutenant Puckett and they drug him to safety.

03:11 For his actions, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

03:16 Following the battle that nearly cost Lieutenant Puckett his life, he was sent to Fort Benning,

03:25 Georgia for recovery. There he met his future bride, Miss Jeannie Martin.

03:36 They would later be married on November 26, 1952, the second anniversary of the battle.

03:43 Instead of retiring from military service, Lieutenant Puckett chose to serve as a

03:51 combat arms officer at the United States Army Ranger School. In 1967, Lieutenant Colonel Puckett

04:02 volunteered for a tour in Vietnam where he once again led soldiers in combat,

04:09 most notably during the Tet Offensive. In 1971, after 22 years of service, Colonel Puckett retired

04:20 from active duty, but that was not the end of Colonel Puckett's service. When he and his family

04:27 moved to Georgia in 1990, he devoted much of his time to speak on base and to teach leadership

04:35 courses. He also participated in numerous field training exercises and visited soldiers serving

04:43 all around the world to pass on the leadership and life lessons he learned during his multiple

04:50 combat tours. Colonel Puckett's influence extended to virtually every senior infantry officer and

05:01 non-commissioned officer in the Army. He served in the Army for nearly a decade,

05:14 now more, or within the 75th Ranger Regiment for nearly two decades. However, his mentorship

05:22 wasn't limited to the men and women at the senior ranks. It resonated across all levels

05:30 of our military. Between his leadership while on active duty and mentorship after he retired,

05:38 Colonel Puckett influenced generations of service members, including me.

05:45 I was fortunate enough to meet Colonel Puckett when I worked on Fort Moore in the 1990s.

05:53 When I was deployed in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2003 to 2004, Colonel Puckett,

06:03 who had become a mentor, would write me with words of advice and motivation.

06:09 For a man of his stature and legacy to spend time, spend this time mentoring a young captain

06:19 on deployment is just one small example of the character and tireless devotion of Colonel Puckett.

06:32 Rightly so, Colonel Puckett was an inaugural inductee into the United States Army Ranger

06:39 Hall of Fame. He would go on to be the honorary colonel of the 75th Ranger Regiment from 1996

06:48 to 2008. And on May 21st, 2021, Colonel Puckett's Distinguished Service Cross was upgraded

07:02 to the Medal of Honor in a White House ceremony that I was very, very privileged and fortunate

07:12 to attend. Mr. President, Colonel Puckett lived a life of devoted service to our nation.

07:22 His military awards include the Medal of Honor, the Distinguished Service Cross,

07:28 two Silver Stars, three Legions of Merit, two Bronze Stars with V device for valor,

07:37 and five Purple Hearts. In addition, he has the Combat Infantryman's Badge with star,

07:45 Special Forces tab, and Ranger tab. Colonel Puckett was a legend, a legend of a man,

07:55 a legend of a soldier, a legend of a ranger, a legend of a husband, father, and grandfather,

08:05 and a legend of a citizen who knew no limits to serving his country.

08:12 After a literal lifetime of dedication and service to America, it is only fitting that we pay

08:23 tribute to Colonel Puckett in the Rotunda of the Capitol to honor his sacrifices and the sacrifices

08:31 of the silent generation and the more than 5,700,000 men and women who served in the

08:43 armed forces of the United States during the Forgotten War. This country is forever in your

08:52 debt for answering the call to fight against tyranny and oppression in the Korean conflict.

09:00 Mr. President, I ask that we take a moment of silence in memory of Colonel Puckett and the

09:08 contributions he made both in and out of uniform and to acknowledge the sacrifices his family made

09:16 when Colonel Puckett's duties took him away from home.

09:24 [Silence]

09:37 Mr. President, it has been a privilege and an honor to know such a man

09:46 and to have walked in the footsteps of giants who have come before,

09:50 giants such as Colonel Ralph Puckett, Jr. May he rest in peace. Rangers, lead the way.

10:04 Thank you, Mr. President. I yield the floor.

'A Giant Of A Man': Joni Ernst Honors The Last Surviving Korean War Medal Of Honor Recipient

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