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USMA1982 list

USMA1982-FORUM list

Chairman, Distinguished Graduate Committee                                                     September 2003
Association of Graduates
698 Mills Road
West Point NY  10996

Dear General Franklin:

 It is with great pride that the Class of 1982 nominates Colonel Ralph Puckett, USMA ’49, for the 2004 Distinguished Graduate Award.  Without question, Colonel Puckett’s lifetime of service to our nation, progressive accomplishments and continuing contributions draw auspicious comparison to our West Point motto, “Duty, Honor, Country.”  Indeed, every facet of Colonel Puckett’s noble allegiance to those principles strikingly complements the Corps of Cadets ideals of selfless service, love of country, and devotion to the United States Military Academy.  To fellow graduates and the American public, Colonel Puckett is a standard of achievement by which one could measure a lifetime of service to not only our nation but also to our allies.

 DUTY:

  ‘Duty’ drives Colonel Puckett to be the quintessential American Ranger.  Shortly following graduation and commissioning as a second lieutenant, he volunteered for and was given command of the Eight Army Ranger Company in Korea, the first Ranger Company to be activated after the Second World War.  The culmination of his command occurred on the night of 24-25 November 1950 when his seriously depleted 51-man company faced the overwhelming onslaught of numerically superior Chinese forces upon their entry into that conflict against American forces.  Directing his company in defense of Hill 205, Colonel Puckett and his Rangers were able to successfully repel five assaults by a 600-man battalion sized element.  Finally, suffering three wounds and with the remnants of his command being overrun, he ordered his Rangers off the hill while he stayed behind to cover their withdrawal.  Only as a result of the heroic efforts of some of his men who fought their way back to the top of the hill, was the seriously wounded commander rescued.  For his selfless duty and personal valor that night, Colonel Puckett was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross.

 In 1956, Colonel Puckett’s duty to our allies resulted in the establishment of the Escuela de Lanceros, the Columbian Army Ranger School, which is still in operation.  Later, serving in the Republic of Vietnam in 1967-1968 as a battalion commander in the 101^st Airborne Division, he made his way following a battalion air assault across a heavily mined area to join and encourage one of his company commands that had been surrounded by a Viet Cong battalion.  Remaining with the company throughout the hard pressed night and exposing himself to hostile fire as he assisted with the rescue of two wounded soldiers, Colonel Puckett would be awarded his 2^nd Distinguished Service Cross.

 In 1999, Colonel Puckett was inducted along with 22 other honorees, including Charles “Chuck” Yeager, into the Gathering of Eagles.  International in scope, the organization recognizes military and civilian personnel throughout the world who have made significant contributions to or whose career has been closely associated with, the field of aviation.  Cited for courageous leadership in both the Korean and Vietnam conflicts, Colonel Puckett earned 10 Air Medals, US Army Master Parachutist Wings, and airborne wings from four other foreign countries.  At the time of his induction during the Gathering of Eagles 19^th year of existence, Colonel Puckett was only the ninth representative of the United States Army out of a total of 400 inducted United States and foreign members.

 Even with 22 years of active duty service behind him, Colonel Puckett’s call to duty continues as he travails the swamps and sleeps in the woods with the Rangers of the 75^th Ranger Regiment molding, shaping, tutoring and mentoring as he demonstrates duty and leads by personal example.

 HONOR:

 Throughout his life, both professional and civilian, Colonel Puckett’s sense of ‘Honor’ has compelled him to remain enthusiastically involved in the community, especially as a goodwill ambassador.  Actively involved in a local church, he serves as a liaison between the Fort Benning military community and his fellow parishioners, helping to inform them of the military’s contribution to the local area and to the nation.  He has also established an experimental educational program to build self-confidence and teamwork at all levels of school, pre-kindergarten to doctoral students, throughout all levels of ability, pre-delinquent to high achievers.

 Colonel Puckett’s honorable contributions expand well beyond just his local community.  A much requested speaker at the Infantry Officer Basic Course, the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, the Army Ranger School, and the 75^th Ranger Regiment, his views and comments are eagerly solicited.  An author who has contributed a number of well received articles and editorials, he was recently honored as an Honorable Mention in a contest by the Military Officer magazine for an article, We Owe You Everything, published in May 2002 that reflected on Europe’s appreciation of the sacrifices rendered by members of the American Armed Forces during World War II.  Unrealized by many, Colonel Puckett requests that no honoraria gifts be presented for his speaking engagements and contributes much of any of his writing fees or prize earnings to the National Infantry Museum.

 COUNTRY:

 Without thought or hesitation, Colonel Puckett continues to magnanimously devote to ‘Country’ a lifetime of selfless service.   Appointed the Honorary Colonel of the 75^th Ranger Regiment by Order of the Secretary of the Army on 19 January 1996, he has, to this day, been The Regiment’s only Honorary Colonel.  As such, he participates in the evaluation and the selection of NCO and officer applicants for assignment to The Regiment in addition to reviewing recommendations for awards.  Amazingly, though ‘honorary’ in title, Colonel Puckett has also opted to take an exceptionally active role in The Regiment’s training and evaluation at home and abroad, performing physical activities that men half his age would hesitate to perform.  Overall, his participation during field training exercises and leadership conferences has proven to be legendary: 

• Emergency Deployment Training Exercises (EDRE): Numerous deployments to evaluate and provide After Action Reviews (AAR) to include EDREs to Yakima Training Center, WA, New Mexico, and Alaska.
• Live Fire Exercises: Numerous exercises at Fort Benning, Fort Knox, and in New Mexico to focus on target engagement and fire superiority performance of teams and squads.
• Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC): Three trips to observe, evaluate, and comment on Regimental Staff planning and coordination and individual and small unit performance in the field.
• Combined Operations Exercise: Two trips to Korea to observe, evaluate and comment on the performance of a Ranger company in a theater exercise.
• Mangodai: Four participations to evaluate individual and team performance during a three day ‘Ranger-type mission’ tactical exercise for 25-30 Captains selected by The 75^th Ranger Regimental Commander.
• Combat Leadership Seminars: Up to a half dozen regarding leadership and command fundamentals for pre-command Battalion and Brigade Commanders undergoing two-week course at Ft. Benning.
• Combat Leadership Seminar: Trip to Hawaii to observe and comment on two live fire exercises of Company in the Attack.  Participated in a Professional Development discussion with the Commanding General of the 25^th Infantry Division, his Brigade and Battalion Commanders and their Staffs on Combat Leadership.  Spoke to 100+ Company Commanders and 1SGs on Combat Leadership, emphasizing the importance of fundamentals in training and setting the example as a leader.
• Combat Leadership Seminar: Discussed the importance of setting the example and training in the fundamentals with the Commanding General of the 101^st Airborne Division, his Brigade and Battalion Commanders and their staffs.
• "Warrior" Seminar: Discussion with C&GSC students on “What’s makes a warrior?”
• Department of the Army Character Development Seminar: Discussed development of program to improve character of members of the Army.
• Officer Professional Development and Training Conferences: Numerous occasions with 75^th Ranger Regiment units, Fort Benning’s Basic Combat Training Brigade, and the Ranger Training Brigade.
• Infantry Commanders Conference on the New Interim Brigade: Discussed Combat Leadership and emphasized the importance of the individual soldier after noting the focus of every comment was about the equipment.
• USAF Academy Leadership Symposium: Attended and participated.
• USAEUR Combat Symposium: Made three presentations.
• School of the Americas and the Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation: Graduation speaker for two Commando classes and two Cadet Leadership Classes in addition to conducting an Ethics Seminar regarding Commander’s Responsibility for Ethical Leadership.
• Official Visit to Chief, US Military Group, Colombia, South America: Two trips in concert with the US Ambassador to Colombia; Commanding General Armed Forces of Colombia; and Commanding General Army of Colombia to observe Colombian Combat Battalions engaged in counter-narco-terrorism operations, the Escuela de Lanceros (Ranger School), the Escuela Militar (Military Academy), the Columbian Army Helicopter School and US Special Forces units operating in the area.  Reported observations and made recommendations to the Chief, US MILGP.

Colonel Puckett exemplifies the West Point motto everyday.  His actions are a model for cadets, graduates, and all Americans and this class knows of no finer ‘Great American’ who has earned the title of “United States Military Academy Distinguished Graduate” than Colonel Puckett.

 Sincerely,

Ellen W. Houlihan
President
USMA 1982

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