Biden awards Korean war veteran Medal of Honor

U.S. President Joe Biden awarded the Medal of Honor to Korean war veteran, retired Colonel Ralph Puckett Jr., on Friday, in a ceremony attended by South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

Ninety-four-year-old Puckett Jr. was given the award for "conspicuous gallantry" for his conduct during the war, which lasted from June 1950 to July 1953.

Most notable, Puckett Jr. was a 24-year-old First Lieutenant in November 1950, when he led the men of the 8th U.S. Army Ranger Company in a daylight attack on Hill 205, according a White House statement. When his platoon was pinned down by enemy fire, he "intentionally ran across an open area three times to draw enemy fire," giving the Rangers time to locate and destroy enemy positions and seize Hill 205.

Moon was in Washington for talks on strengthening the U.S.-South Korea alliance after the strains of the Donald Trump era.

Shortly after Moon arrived at the White House, he and Biden joined together to award the medal.

It was the first time a foreign leader had attended a Medal of Honor ceremony, which Biden called a testament to the strength of the U.S.-South Korean alliance.

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