Posted on 02/26/2019 3:52:39 PM PST by Elderberry
“Anyone seen TG around, who I’m in before?”
I was wondering the same thing.
– Lewis B. Chesty Puller, USMC
Right where we want them!
I thought the name "Lewis B. Chesty Puller," was some type of joke. Well the joke is on me, This {former/late} Marine, Lewis B. Chesty Puller, was the REAL DEAL, and then some.
5 Reasons Why Chesty Puller is a Marine Corps Legend
Lt. Gen. Lewis "Chesty" Puller was a Marine’s Marine. A bonafide badass leatherneck with the scars to prove it. But this badass had one soft spot—his fierce loyalty and care for his men. Puller’s leadership is one of the reasons why to this day, Marine Corps officers in the field never eat until the enlisted men have been served.
1. Lead by Example, Lead Like a Marine
Puller’s motto “Lead by example” is not an empty slogan. He lived with his men. There were no officers' messes in Puller's outfit and he fell in line with the privates, carrying his own mess gear. In combat, he rigidly refused comforts unattainable for his men, and in training, he carried his own pack and bedding roll while marching at the head of his battalion.
2. The Legend of “Chesty”
Some say Puller got his famous nickname because of his big, thrust-out chest; the myth was that the original had been shot away and the new chest was a steel plate. Others state that “chesty” was an old Marine expression meaning cocky. A few claimed that he developed the chest from shouting commands above the noise of battle.
"We don't need no frontline communications," men under Puller bragged, "Chesty yells commands up and down the line. You can hear him for miles."
3. Most Decorated Marine
Puller was the most decorated Marine in history, and the only Marine to receive five Navy Crosses. He led Marines in some of the bloodiest battles of World War II, including Guadalcanal and Peleliu, the names of which forever speak of the Marines’ exploits and sacrifices.
In the Korean War, Puller was again assigned as commander of the 1st Marines, which he led to a landing at Inchon on September 15, 1950, earning his Silver Star in the process. He was given the Distinguished Service Cross from the Army for action from November 29 to December 5 of that same year, and his fifth Navy Cross for action during December 5–10 at the Battle of Chosin Reservoir. It was during that battle when he made the famous quote: "We've been looking for the enemy for some time now. We've finally found him. We're surrounded. That simplifies things."
4. Served as Both Officer and Enlisted
Puller was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant during World War I. As the war wound down, he was put on inactive status and given the rank of corporal. In keeping with his badass-itude, he re-enlisted as a private and was sent to Haiti to fight Caco Rebels bent on the violent overthrow of the U.S.-sponsored Haitian government. His valor and accomplishments in battle earned him rapid promotions, and by the time he was shipped out to Nicaragua in 1930, he was a commissioned Lieutenant, again.
Puller’s legend preceded him and served him well leading young men. His men knew that he had their backs because he had humped through jungles, endured the harshest of conditions, and been wounded in battle, just like them.
Puller quickly earned the reputation among his superiors as someone who didn’t abide with BS or political maneuvering. Some say that his straight-forward attitude, while serving him well in combat and respect from his men, caused him to be passed over for receiving the nation’s highest award -- the Medal of Honor.
5. “Pullerisms”
“Old breed? New breed? There’s not a damn bit of difference as long as it’s the Marine breed.”
"Where the Hell do you put the bayonet?" (He said this while at a flamethrower demonstration. Apparently, Puller wanted to be ready to stab the men he set on fire.)
"Son, when the Marine Corps wants you to have a wife, you will be issued one." (This was Puller's response to a young Marine who was asking permission to be married.)
When in the hell is the Marine Corp, going to give this man his "Medal of Honor." Better late, than never. R.I.P. Chesty.
Thanks again for your constant information that has been blunt and to the point over the years. There was in the beginning a constant backlash on these threads of several that were anti Bikers and kept their mantras going unending night and day. Must admit hard to wipe the grin off.
Our patches are finally vindicated.
:)
Still, I’m never going to Waco. Crossed off my list of places in America I’d visit. I’d walk around in Milwaukee’s Little Beirut in blackface before I’d visit Wacko.
I think that’s why it went so far. It involved people higher up the law enforcement status ladder in Texas.
I harbor no desire to go there, either.
:)
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