As my favorite (and former) military commander said (about the enemy):
All right, theyre on our left, theyre on our right, theyre in front of us, theyre behind us
they cant get away this time
Lewis B. Chesty Puller, USMC
– 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 Marines Marine. A bonafide badass leatherneck with the scars to prove it. But this badass had one soft spothis fierce loyalty and care for his men. Pullers 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
Pullers 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 510 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.
Pullers 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 didnt 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 nations highest award -- the Medal of Honor.
5. Pullerisms
Old breed? New breed? Theres not a damn bit of difference as long as its 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.