Tifton celebrates 150th anniversary honoring veteran Col. Ralph Puckett Jr.

TIFTON, Ga. (WALB) - In celebration of Tifton’s 150th Anniversary Friday, the community recognized and honored Col. Ralph Puckett, Jr. at First United Methodist Church.

City leaders signed a proclamation that officially marks July 1st “Col. Ralph Puckett Day” in Tifton.

Col. Puckett is a native of Tifton, who served in the Korean and Vietnam Wars with the U.S. Army Rangers for over 50 years. He was awarded the 2021 Congressional Medal of Honor for his heroics in Korea. Now, he is retired and is highly respected for his time as a Ranger.

In addition to the proclamation, Victory Drive in Tifton is now renamed Ralph Puckett Boulevard in his honor. His Ranger Buddy Robert Choppa thanks the city of Tifton and his family for making Col. Puckett the man he has become.

“Growing up in Tifton during the war years, Ralph learned to make things better and always gave 100%. The World War II Veterans of Tifton built a desire in Ralph to serve his county. It also paved a path to make Ralph legendary in the Army and Ranger world,” he added.

Col. Puckett will be celebrating his 96th birthday on December 8th. Due to his age and current health conditions, he is not able to speak or stand for a long period of time. He wrote a letter acknowledging his recognition that was read by his son, Thomas Puckett.

In that letter, he says:

Beyond the call of duty, his contributions and his sacrifices to our country are made possible by the many brave men and women of our United States military.

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