2016 Ranger Hall of Fame: Part 3
This week we will learn more about the next group of inductees: Sgt. Maj. Ronald Hart, Staff Sgt. Raymond Schuder, Cpt. Stephen Maguire, and Lt. Col. James Tucker.
Sgt. Maj. Hart, also referred to as "Baby Hart", joined the Army in 1962 at the age of 17. Hart received his nickname due to the fact that both he and his father served together as Ranger Instructor's in the Ranger Department at the same time.
Hart's first assignments include 1st Battalion, 325th Airborne Infantry Regiment, the Fort Benning Honor Guard Company, the 1st Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment and then to the Ranger Department. While assigned to the Ranger Department, he helped update the Ranger Handbook and even performed a Rangers In Action Demonstration for President Gerald Ford.
Sgt. Maj. Hart was then assigned to F Company, 75th Rangers as a platoon sergeant. While assigned to F Company, Hart volunteered to led an element to secure a downed helicopter. According to his ARCOM with V citation, Hart took the quickest route from the Landing Zone and at the head of the element, saw the enemy and directed the unit to move into the wood-line. Contact was made. Hart fired with accuracy eliminating one enemy and wounding another.
Sgt. Maj. Hart returned to the Ranger Department in 1971 as a Primary Instructor. Hart was instrumental in standing up the Desert Phase of Ranger School.
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| Staff Sgt. Raymond Schuder |
Staff Sgt. Raymond Schuder enlisted into the Army at Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas on January 13, 1941 at the age of 21. In January 1943, Schuder was assigned to Company C, 7th Replacement Battalion, 1st Replacement Depot in North Africa. Shortly after his arrival, he was transferred via Special Order 23 to the 1st Ranger Battalion at Port-aux-Poules, Algeria.
Schuder's next assignment was A Company, 1st Ranger Battalion and participated in the El Guettar raid where the Rangers made a difficult combat march over terrain thought to be unnavigable by the Italian enemy. Schuder along with the Soldiers of 1st Ranger Battalion was awarded the Presidential Unit Citation for their actions.
Staff Sgt. Schuder was later assigned to F Company of the newly formed 3rd Ranger Battalion and participated in the capture and defense of the Chiunzi Pass and Sorrento Peninsula. Schuder received his second Presidential Unit Citation.
Surrounded by overwhelming German forces, Staff Sgt. Schuder was captured at Cisterna along with most of the 3rd Ranger Battalion. They were marched though the streets of Rome, trucked to a POW (Prisoner of War) camp at Florence, and then transported by boxcar to a permanent POW camp --Stalag 3B -- in Furstenberg, Prussia. Schuder attempted several unsuccessful escapes and was punished for each attempt. Schuder was finally released and was honorably discharged from the Army in October 1945.
Cpt. Stephen Maguire enlisted into the Army in March 1967. Shortly after his graduation from Officer Candidate School, Maguire was assigned to the Ranger Training Command to be an instructor with the Patrolling Committee.
Two years after his enlistment, Maguire was sent to Vietnam as a platoon leader with Company A, 2/39 Inf, in the 1st Brigade of the 9th Infantry Division. During this assignment, Maguire led ambush patrols west of the District towns of Cai Lay and Cai Be and participated in joint operations with Navy Riverine forces along the My Tho River.
Maguire was next assigned to the Reconnaissance Platoon in the 6th Battalion, 31st Infantry, 9th Infantry Division. During this assignment, Maguire was critically wounded and blinded and after 17 months of hospitalization was medically retired.
Although his Army career was cut short, he didn't allow his blindness to prevent him from living life. Maguire returned to his home state and attended the University of Connecticut and became a counseling psychologist.
In February 2007, in the wake of serious turmoil regarding the care given to newly wounded soldiers, Maguire was asked to head up a new department that would focus on addressing many of the needs recommended by Presidential and Congressional committees. His success led the Army to duplicate this model in 30 other Army hospitals and medical centers. He directed the department over the next six years and was able to serve the needs of many hundreds of the most severely injured and wounded Soldiers.
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| Lt. Col. (Ret.) James Tucker |
Lt. Col. (Ret.) James Tucker graduated from the Citadel in 1956 and was commissioned as a 2nd Lt. in the Infantry. His first assignment was in Korea as a Rifle Platoon leader in the 1st Battle Group, 32d Infantry Regiment, 7th Infantry Division.
After spending 18 months in Korea, Tucker was then assigned to the Mountain Ranger Camp of the Ranger Department from 1959-1961. While assigned to 5th Ranger Battalion, Tucker was awarded the Soldiers Medal for rescuing Soldiers from a downed helicopter at night.
In his next assignment overseas, Tucker was selected by his command to attend the Royal Marine Commando Course at Lymston, England.
Tucker was then sent back to the States for an assignment as an ROTC instructor at Middle Tennessee State University from the Summer of 1965 to Summer of 1967.
In August of 1967, Tucker was sent to Vietnam and assigned to the 1st Battalion, 18th Infantry Regiment in the 1st Infantry Division. He was wounded twice earning two Purple Hearts.
This proven combat leader was selected to command the Florida Ranger Camp at Eglin, FL from September 1969 to Spring of 1971. It was during this time that Ranger Tucker was invited to the annual meeting of the World War II Ranger Association. While at that meeting, he proposed that the association be expanded to allow all Ranger to join. This was the seed that started the National Ranger Memorial Foundation.
After more than 21 years of active service to his country, Tucker retired in Fort Walton Beach, Florida on January 1, 1979. Since his retirement, he has been active in his local community and been a major supporter of the Florida Ranger Camp.
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