MARCH 23, 2026 – During conflict, the last thing many selfless warriors have done is shield their comrades from grenade explosions using their own bodies. Marine Corps Pfc. Ronald Leroy Coker was one of them, but amazingly, that didn’t stop him from continuing to drag a wounded man to safety. His courage through horrific pain inspired his fellow Marines, and it led him to receive a posthumous Medal of Honor.
Coker was born Aug. 9, 1947, in Alliance, Nebraska, to Cecil and Nellie Coker, who raised their family on a 160-acre farm. Coker had two brothers, Charlie and Ray, and a sister named Janet.
After graduating from Alliance High School in 1965, Coker attended an automotive school in Denver, where he completed a mechanic training program in 1966. Sadly, that same year, his mother died…