[Congressional Record Volume 167, Number 106 (Thursday, June 17, 2021)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E664]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           IN HONOR OF COLONEL RALPH PUCKETT, JR., USA (RET.)

                                 ______
                                 

                      HON. SANFORD D. BISHOP, JR.

                               of georgia

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, June 17, 2021

  Mr. BISHOP of Georgia. Madam Speaker, I rise today to extend my 
personal congratulations to an extraordinary man, leader, soldier, 
veteran, and true national treasure, Colonel Ralph Puckett, Jr. USA 
(ret.). On Friday, May 21, 2021, Colonel Puckett was awarded the Medal 
of Honor, our Nation's most prestigious military award, by President 
Joseph R. Biden for his valiant and commendable service to his nation. 
A dinner congratulating him on this momentous achievement will be held 
at The National Infantry Museum in Columbus, Georgia on Friday, June 
18, 2021 at 6pm.
  Before receiving this momentous honor, the Tifton, Georgia native had 
already established an impressive career in the U.S. military. Colonel 
Ralph Puckett, Jr. graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West 
Point in 1949. Assigned as an Infantry Lieutenant to occupation duty in 
Japan, he volunteered for the Eighth U.S. Army Ranger Company when the 
Korean War began. On November 25, 1950, the then-First Lieutenant began 
a multiday operation with the Eighth Army Ranger Company, a company of 
51 U.S. and nine South Korean soldiers, against a plethora of Chinese 
troops on Hill 205. During the initial daylight assault, Colonel 
Puckett exposed himself to enemy fire, rallying pinned down U.S. troops 
to advance and take the hill from its defenders. In the following 
hours, temperatures dropped, and the Chinese attempted to retake the 
hill and Col. Puckett radioed in an artillery strike to stop the 
enemy's advance. Over the course of six brutal enemy attacks, Colonel 
Puckett incurred severe wounds on his left shoulder, feet, thighs, and 
buttocks. Although severely injured, he was still able to command his 
company and call on artillery to avert enemy attacks, before being 
carried to safety by two of his troops.
  Colonel Puckett was originally awarded the Distinguished Service 
Cross for his actions at Hill 205, but John Lock, a retired U.S. Army 
officer, and assistant professor at the U.S. Military Academy, 
discovered Colonel Puckett's story and believed it met the criteria to 
be awarded our nation's most prestigious military award, the Medal of 
Honor. In 2003, Mr. Lock began the strenuous process to have Colonel 
Puckett's initial award upgraded to the Medal of Honor. After being met 
with unforeseen opposition, Lock submitted a petition for an upgrade to 
the Army Award Corrections Board. In 2020, the petition for Colonel 
Puckett was approved, and on Friday, May 21, 2021, Colonel Puckett was 
awarded the Medal of Honor by President Joseph R. Biden for his valiant 
and commendable service to his Nation.
  During his 22-year career, Colonel Puckett received several 
illustrious awards and commendations for his outstanding leadership and 
heroic actions in the line of duty and on behalf of his fellow 
servicemen. To date, he has received the Distinguished Service Cross 
twice, along with two Silver Stars for valor, two Bronze Star Medals, 
and five Purple Hearts. Similarly, in 1992, he became one of the first 
people to be inducted into the U.S. Army Ranger Hall of Fame.
  Former Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm once said that ``Service is the 
rent that we pay for the space that we occupy here on this earth.'' As 
one of our nation's most decorated military heroes, Colonel Puckett has 
paid his rent many times over and continued to give a prodigious amount 
of love and service back to his community following his military 
service. As a retiree, Colonel Puckett has remained actively involved 
with military affairs, including as a volunteer with the Ranger Brigade 
as well as serving as an executive with Outward Bound, a nonprofit 
educational organization that exposes students, especially those from 
cities, to wilderness settings.
  Colonel Puckett has accomplished many things in his life, but none of 
these would have been possible without the grace of God, and the 
enduring love and support of his wife, Jean; and their children, Martha 
and Thomas.
  Madam Speaker, today I ask my colleagues to join my wife, Vivian, and 
me, along with the more than 730,000 residents of Georgia's Second 
Congressional District, in recognizing and commending Colonel Ralph 
Puckett, Jr. USA (ret.) on receiving the prestigious Medal of Honor and 
his lifetime of service to his community and his nation.

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