Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller - Lieutenant General, USMC - June 26, 1898 - October 11, 1971
Chesty Puller is a name that a Marine Recruit in boot camp learns very well. The Drill Instructors use his name to inspire top performance and the recruits use his name to motivate themselves.
The Lieutenant General's combat actions are well documented as are his numerous honors for those actions (he is the most decorated Marine in the USMC's history - MGen Smedley Butler, USMC held that title until Puller; we'll talk about him next month!)
What makes the name Chesty Puller ring out so strongly within the ranks is not his awards or his rank. It is his commitment to the enlisted man. By all accounts, he did everything he could to ensure the safety of his men. (One could argue that this is why he left the service - he was NOT interested in the political side of the military and didn't want to take part in anything that eroded the honor of the warrior spirit or put men in harm's way for no good reason.) Chesty Puller was a great man and Marine on and off the combat field!
-- My Dad has shared with me his personal interactions with our subject and reports nothing but the very same in Puller's character. If you know Mr. Gould, ask him to tell you his stories. If you don't know my wonderful father, I'm happy and honored to share with you his Chesty Puller moments.
Thank you, Chesty Puller, wherever you are! Happy Birthday!
A great biography on our man:
http://www.amazon.com/Marine-Chesty-Puller-Burke-Davis/dp/0553271822
Some links:
Marine Corps Legacy Museum - http://www.mclm.com/tohonor/lpuller.html
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesty_Puller
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Chesty Puller is a name that a Marine Recruit in boot camp learns very well. The Drill Instructors use his name to inspire top performance and the recruits use his name to motivate themselves.
The Lieutenant General's combat actions are well documented as are his numerous honors for those actions (he is the most decorated Marine in the USMC's history - MGen Smedley Butler, USMC held that title until Puller; we'll talk about him next month!)
What makes the name Chesty Puller ring out so strongly within the ranks is not his awards or his rank. It is his commitment to the enlisted man. By all accounts, he did everything he could to ensure the safety of his men. (One could argue that this is why he left the service - he was NOT interested in the political side of the military and didn't want to take part in anything that eroded the honor of the warrior spirit or put men in harm's way for no good reason.) Chesty Puller was a great man and Marine on and off the combat field!
-- My Dad has shared with me his personal interactions with our subject and reports nothing but the very same in Puller's character. If you know Mr. Gould, ask him to tell you his stories. If you don't know my wonderful father, I'm happy and honored to share with you his Chesty Puller moments.
Thank you, Chesty Puller, wherever you are! Happy Birthday!
A great biography on our man:
http://www.amazon.com/Marine-Chesty-Puller-Burke-Davis/dp/0553271822
Some links:
Marine Corps Legacy Museum - http://www.mclm.com/tohonor/lpuller.html
Wikipedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chesty_Puller
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"Treat the Earth well: it was not given to you by your parents, it was loaned to you by your children. We do not inherit the Earth from our Ancestors, we borrow it from our Children."
- Native American proverb
- Native American proverb
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