candidates, he tells them to keep telling themselves, “‘I can do it.’ Look at the guys— me and others—who have gone before you. You are just as good as we are. We did it. You can do it.” Puckett always attends the first Ranger
School class, which is a physical training test, starting at 5:45 in the morning. Te last
“Unfortunately, war is destructive. It kills people, and it destroys property. What we need is the moral equivalent of war.” -william james
Lt. Col. Ralph Puckett presents the Silver Star to Capt. Ron Odom two days after an all night battle they fought together in Vietnam, 1967. Odom left for home the following day.
thing they do is a five-mile run. He walks with them for about a mile out and a mile back, cheering them on. “Tey really seem to appreciate it,” he said. “Tey’ll be run- ning by saying, ‘Tank you for being out here, Col. Puckett.’ ‘Tank you, sir.’ ‘Good morning, sir.’ You know, it’s very fulfilling for me to have those youngsters say thank you very much.” Ranger students take on a huge chal-
lenge. Training is tough. Tey average about four hours sleep a night for 61 days, and half of them will not graduate. But the reward is significant. When Puckett asks them what was the most important thing they learned in Ranger School, they say, “Sir, I learned about myself. I learned I can do a lot more than I ever thought possible.” He paraphrases sociologist - philoso-
pher William James, who said, “Most of us go through life without ever knowing the great strength that we have within us. We don’t know about that because we are never challenged. Life is too easy. War is the greatest challenge that exists. Unfor- tunately, war is destructive. It kills people, and it destroys property. What we need is the moral equivalent of war.” “What would you say is the moral equiv-
alent of war?” I asked him. “Ranger School,” Puckett answered. “What else?” Laughing, he said, “Probably, having a
baby.” Space restrictions won’t allow us to list all
of the medals and honors he has received over the years. At the top of the list are two Distinguished Service Crosses for valor in battle, the second highest military award
40 Columbus and the Valley AUGUST 2013
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