Reviews
Ranger: A Soldier's Life is a gripping story of a leader in the making that held me spellbound. Anybody who desires to learn what motivates a true American hero should read this book., " Ranger: A Soldier's Life is a gripping story of a leader in the making that held me spellbound. Anybody who desires to learn what motivates a true American hero should read this book." -- Infantry Bugler, Ranger arrived just in time. Just in time to remind us of the essence of what it means to be an American. Just in time to remind us that our liberty and the fate of all humanity depends on Soldiers who possess the courage, toughness, and determination to fight those who seek to extinguish freedom. Soldiers like Ralph Puckett--a man whose humility, commitment to selfless service, and willingness to sacrifice impels him to reject the label hero. Call him Soldier. Call him Ranger. Read this book to restore your faith in America and bolster your confidence in the future of this great nation. And ask your children to read this book so they might be inspired and understand better the intangible rewards of service and the sacred covenant that binds Soldiers to each other and the citizens in whose name they fight., "General readers, history buffs, serious students, and military historians will find abundant sources and references for reflection or writing in this memoir of soldiering from World War II to the present." -- Henry G. Gole, author of Exposing the Third Reich: Colonel Truman Smith in Hitler's Germany, When once asked by a friend in uniform to describe Colonel Ralph Puckett in one word, I replied with emphasis, 'Inspirational!' That word best captures what Ranger Puckett was to countless soldiers over his decades in uniform and best captures what he has been during his subsequent decades supporting those in uniform., General readers, history buffs, serious students, and military historians will find abundant sources and references for reflection or writing in this memoir of soldiering from World War II to the present., " Ranger arrived just in time. Just in time to remind us of the essence of what it means to be an American. Just in time to remind us that our liberty and the fate of all humanity depends on Soldiers who possess the courage, toughness, and determination to fight those who seek to extinguish freedom. Soldiers like Ralph Puckett--a man whose humility, commitment to selfless service, and willingness to sacrifice impels him to reject the label hero. Call him Soldier. Call him Ranger. Read this book to restore your faith in America and bolster your confidence in the future of this great nation. And ask your children to read this book so they might be inspired and understand better the intangible rewards of service and the sacred covenant that binds Soldiers to each other and the citizens in whose name they fight." -- H. R. McMaster, author of Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies that Led to Vietnam, " Ranger describes a fascinating career, and it is a good autobiography...." -- Journal of America's Military Past, " Ranger arrived just in time. Just in time to remind us of the essence of what it means to be an American. Just in time to remind us that our liberty and the fate of all humanity depends on Soldiers who possess the courage, toughness, and determination to fight those who seek to extinguish freedom. Soldiers like Ralph Puckett--a man whose humility, commitment to selfless service, and willingness to sacrifice impels him to reject the label hero. Call him Soldier. Call him Ranger. Read this book to restore your faith in America and bolster your confidence in the future of this great nation. And ask your children to read this book so they might be inspired and understand better the intangible rewards of service and the sacred covenant that binds Soldiers to each other and the citizens in whose name they fight." -- H.R. McMaster, author of Dereliction of Duty: Lyndon Johnson, Robert McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies that Led to Vietnam, "When once asked by a friend in uniform to describe Colonel Ralph Puckett in one word, I replied with emphasis, 'Inspirational!' That word best captures what Ranger Puckett was to countless soldiers over his decades in uniform and best captures what he has been during his subsequent decades supporting those in uniform." -- From the foreword by General David H. Petraeus, USA (Ret.)
Table of Content
1. Georgia Boy: Early Influences 2. Want to Be a Flyboy: Training with the U.S. Army Air Corps Enlisted Reserve 3. A Soldier's Apprenticeship: West Point, Fort Riley, Kansas, and Fort Benning, Georgia 4. Korea: Eighth Army Ranger Company 5. Back on Track: Convalescence, Marriage, and the Ranger Department 6. Latin Sojourn: U.S. Army Caribbean Command and Forming the Colombian Ranger School 7. Climbing the Army School Ladder: Infantry Advanced Course, USMAPS, and the Command and General Staff College 8. Tenth Special Forces Group: Three-Year Idyll in Bavaria 9. Three More Way Stations Cleared: Armed Forces Staff College, the Pentagon, and U.S. Army War College 10. Strike Force: Battalion Command in Vietnam 11. Tet: The Unexpected Crossover 12. West Point: Changing Times at the Academy 13. The Fort Carson Blues: Troubled Birth of the New Army 14. Life in Mufti: Outward Bound, Discovery, and MicroBilt 15. Not All Old Soldiers Fade Away: Fort Benning Redux Afterword by General David H. Petraeus, USA (Ret.) Acknowledgments Index
