Puller, Lewis Burwell “Chesty”.

Puller, Lewis Burwell “Chesty”, born 26-06-1898 in West Point, Lewis was of English ancestry; his ancestors who came to America emigrated to the colony of Virginia from Bedfordshire, England in 1621. His father Mathew Puller was a grocer who died when Puller was 10 years old. His mother was Martha Puller. Lewis grew up listening to old veterans’ tales of the American Civil War and idolizing Thomas Jonathan “Stonewall” Jackson. He wanted to enlist in the United States Army to fight in the Border War with Mexico in 1916, but he was too young and could not get parental consent from his mother.

His nickname “Chesty” was related to the way his barrel chest stood out due to his aggressive stance, with legends claiming that a steel plate had been inserted by surgeons to treat a battle wound. In a handwritten addition to a typed 22-11-1954 letter to Major Frank C. Sheppard, Puller wrote, “I agree with you 100%. I had done a little soldiering previous to Guadalcanal and had been called a lot of names, but why ‘Chesty’? Especially the steel part??”

Lewis enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1917, he was just Serial No.135517. From that modest beginning, the young man rose through the ranks to later become Lieutenant General Puller. But in the annals of military valour, he is known as “Chesty” Puller, not only for his bull chest but also for his absolute fearlessness and devotion to duty. “Chesty” Puller came to the Marine Corps out of Virginia Military Institute, the college where General Stonewall Jackson

 taught before the Civil War. Jackson was killed in action, on 08-12-1863, age 39. The school itself had a history of wartime valour. VMI cadets fought as a unit in Jackson’s Army, the only time in American history when a student body was committed to a pitched battle. Cadet Puller may have been inspired by their heroism. Or perhaps it was the example of a cadet four years ahead of Puller, Lemuel C. Shepherd

. (see Lemuel Shepherd). In either case, with World War I raging in Europe, Puller left VMI at the end of his freshman year to enlist in the Marines, saying simply, “I want to go where the guns are!” He didn’t see service in Europe: the war was over before he could ship overseas. But he saw plenty of action before and during World War II and during the Korean War. Slowly and steadily, he worked his way up the ranks. He received a direct commission. And he began collecting awards for valor. By the time he retired from the Corps in 1951 he  had earned more awards than any Marine in history: five Navy Crosses, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, two Legions of Merit with “V” device, the Bronze Star with “V” device, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal and the Purple Heart. “Chesty” Puller became more than a hero: he was an American Legend. His gruff, give ’em hell attitude was admired throughout the Marine Corps. His bravery and his nickname, were known to the millions of Americans on the home front. He was a man’s man, a Marine’ s Marine. For all his renown, however, there are few permanent monuments to “Chesty” Puller.

Puller’s son, Lewis Burwell Puller, Jr. (generally known as Lewis Puller), served as a Marine lieutenant in the Vietnam War. While serving with 2nd Battalion, 1st Marines (2/1), Lewis Jr. was severely wounded by a mine explosion, losing both legs and parts of his hands. Lieutenant General Puller broke down sobbing at seeing his son for the first time in the hospital. Lewis Jr. won a 1992 Pulitzer Prize for his autobiography, Fortunate Son: The Healing of a Vietnam Vet. He committed suicide in 1994. Lewis died from a self-inflicted gunshot on 11-05-1994, age 48. In the days leading up to his death, Puller fought a losing battle with the alcoholism that he had kept at bay for 13 years, and struggled with a more recent addiction, to painkillers initially prescribed to dull continuing pain from his wounds.

Puller Sr. was father-in-law to Colonel William H. Dabney, USMC (retired), a Virginia Military Institute (VMI) graduate, who was the commanding officer (then Captain) of two heavily reinforced rifle companies of the 3rd Battalion, 26th Marines (3/26) from January 21 to April 14, 1968, in Vietnam. During the entire period, Dabney’s force stubbornly defended Hill 881 South, a regional outpost vital to the defense of the Khe Sanh Combat Base during the 77-day siege at the Battle of Khe Sanh. Dabney was recommended for the Navy Cross for his actions on Hill 881 South, but his battalion executive officer’s helicopter carrying the recommendation papers crashed and the papers were lost. It was not until April 15, 2005, that Colonel Dabney received the Navy Cross during an award ceremony at Virginia Military Institute.

Puller was a distant cousin to U.S. Army General George Smith Patton “Old Blood and Guts”

Death and burial ground of Puller, Lewis Burwell “Chesty”

L ewis Puller died age 73 after a long illness, on 11-10-1971 in Christ Church, Virginia and is buried on the Cemetery at Christ Church, Saluda Virginia.