WASHINGTON (AP) — Congress gave one of its highest final tributes on Monday — a lying in honor ceremony at the Capitol — to Ralph Puckett Jr., who led an outnumbered company in battle during the Korean War and was the last surviving veteran of that war to receive the Medal of Honor.
Puckett, who retired as an Army colonel, died earlier this month at the age of 97 at his home in Columbus, Georgia. He was awarded the Medal of Honor in 2021, the nation’s highest military honor, seven decades after his actions during the wartime.
The lying in honor ceremony at the Capitol is reserved for the nation’s most distinguished private citizens. Only seven others have received the honor, and the latest, in 2022, was Hershel W. “Woody” Williams, who was the last surviving Medal of Honor recipient from World War II. The ceremonies for both Williams and Puckett were meant to also recognize the broader generations of veterans who are now dwindling in numbers.
Adams, Reyna, Turner, Ream are US concerns ahead of Copa America
Autumn scenery of imperial Xiaoling Mausoleum in Nanjing, E China
Chinese paddlers continue winning streak at WTT Champions Incheon
International pump track park to open in China's Shenyang
College baseball notebook: Conference tournaments to decide NCAA automatic bids and many at
Camping tourism rebounds as pandemic eases and spring comes
Xi Visits Beijing School Ahead of International Children's Day
China sees holiday trips rise 70% to 274 million
Four people killed in a house explosion in southwestern Missouri
Wintering birds return to China's largest recovering freshwater lake
Uber and Lyft say they'll stay in Minnesota after Legislature passes driver pay compromise
Peng Liyuan, African First Ladies Launch Health Campaign for Orphans in Africa