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Col. (Ret.) Ralph Puckett Jr., Medal of Honor recipient, poses with members of the 75th Ranger Regiment at the National Infantry Museum in Columbus, Ga. on Aug. 10, 2021. (U.S. Army Photo by Spc. Garrett Shreffler).
Episode 2783 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about how Army Ranger and Vietnam Vet COL Ralph Puckett was honored at the U.S. Capitol. The featured story appeared on the Task and Purpose website and was titled: Ranger legend COL Ralph Puckett honored at U.S. Capitol.It was submitted by Patty Nieberg.
She is a senior staff writer for Task & Purpose. She has covered the military and national defense for five years, including embedding with the National Guard during Hurricane Florence and covering legal proceedings for a former al Qaeda commander at Guantanamo Bay. Her previous bylines can be found at the Associated Press, Bloomberg Government, Washington Post, The New York Times, and ABC.
In this story, Nieberg reported that Sen. Joni Ernst is one of the lead lawmakers crafting legislation that directly impacts American service members and veterans, but she found herself choking up Monday, April 29, 2024 remembering how her own military service had been shaped by the mentorship and friendship with Col. Ralph Puckett.
Ernst told Task & Purpose Monday, as her voice occasionally caught with emotion. “You would think he was a librarian. He was so quiet and so humble and he was such a good man,” For decades, Puckett was a mentor and example to generations around the 75th Ranger Regiment.
On Monday, April 29, 2024, Puckett became just the second Medal of Honor recipient to lie in honor, meaning his remains were accorded a public audience in the rotunda of Capitol Hill in Washington D.C. so that lawmakers and the public could pay personal respects. Ernst was among the Senators who arranged for the honor.
Listen to episode 2783 and discover more about how Army Ranger and VietnamVet COL Ralph Puckett was honored at the U.S. Capitol for his service to his country.
