Captain
PAUL W. BUCHA


Inducted 1999

Biography

Ranger Paul Bucha is inducted into the Ranger Hall of Fame for his outstanding service as a Ranger throughout his distinguished career, particularly for his extraordinary heroism in Vietnam as a rifle company commander in the 3d Battalion, 187th PIR, 101st Airborne Division. Recognizing the hazards of his chosen profession, he volunteered for airborne and Ranger training. After completion of his education at Stanford, CPT Bucha sought airborne duty in the 101st Airborne Division, and was immediately assigned to company command where he was tasked to build and train an understrengthed rifle company for deployment to Vietnam. Using his Ranger skills, CPT Bucha’s focus was on night operations and team building, which bore fruit in December 1967 when his company deployed to War Zone C, Northwest of Saigon. Very quickly the troopers of Company D were identified as the most effective in the 3d Brigade, wreaking havoc on any enemy encountered. On March 18, after pursuing enemy forces in Binh Duong Province for three days of heavy contact, CPT Bucha’s company had a meeting engagement with a North Vietnamese Army Battalion while preparing for bivouac. He quickly organized a hasty perimeter defense to ward off the attacks of this superior enemy force. Aware that a heavy machine gun was placing effective fire into his position, CPT Bucha crawled forward and, single-handedly,† destroyed the machine gun with grenades. Wounded, while returning to his position, he rallied his men and encouraged them, while adjusting artillery on all sides. Concerned for his wounded, which included all of his platoon leaders, CPT Bucha called for aerial medical evacuation and moved to an exposed clearing to supervise that evacuation while personally adjusting suppressive fires from an Air Force gunship. At dawn, the enemy broke contact leaving 156 KIA on the jungle battlefield. Ranger Bucha’s high standards, tough training, and team building had paid off. Upon his return to the United States, he was assigned as an instructor at the United States Military Academy. His instruction was characterized by tough, rigorous training top convey Combat Lessons Learned to his cadet students. Upon Leaving the military to pursue a business career, Ranger Bucha returned often to West Point to speak to the cadets, to remind all that each person has the potential to do something extraordinary, if they continue to strive and don’t give up. His success in the military, in business, and in life is based strongly on the axiom that “surrender” is not a Ranger word.