What did Chesty Puller do in World War 2?
In Guadalcanal ten years later, Puller commanded a battalion holding a line a mile long against Japanese forces. With one man every five yards, Puller’s men held the line through six fierce assaults by a superior number of Japanese forces on the night of October 24, 1942.
How old was Chesty Puller when he died?
He was 73 years old. During a long and stormy career, Lewis Burwell Puller acquired the nickname Chesty, a reputation as the toughest marine in the Corps and nearly every medal for valor awarded by the services;
When did Chesty Puller get his fifth Navy Cross?
Puller’s fifth and final Navy Cross was earned during a fight against North Korean forces in December of 1950. Defending American outposts from North Korean attackers in sub-zero temperatures, Puller again walked the line ensuring his forces were correctly deployed, exposed to enemy fire and artillery as much as the men he commanded.
What did general Chesty Puller do at Camp Lejeune?
By the time of the attack on Pearl Harbor, General Puller was back in the United States commanding the First Battalion of the Seventh Marines at Camp Lejeune, N. C. Against the sharp resistance of his regimental commander, he insisted on training his men in jungle fighting and personal camouflage tricks.
Chesty Puller’s men repelled countless enemy attacks by larger forces. As usual, Puller moved along the defensive line, ducking machinegun, artillery and mortar fire, organizing, leading and directing his troops. Puller fortified the line and more importantly kept supply routes open for the division.
How old was Chesty Puller when he retired?
He was awarded 5 Navy Crosses and one Distinguished Service Cross. With 6 crosses, Puller is second behind Eddie Rickenbacker for citations of the nation’s second-highest military award for valor. Puller retired from the Marine Corps in 1955, after 37 years of service. He lived in Virginia and died in 1971 at age 73.
What does it mean to be a “ Chesty Puller “ marine?
In U.S. Marine Corps recruit training and OCS cadences, Marines chant „It was good for Chesty Puller/And it’s good enough for me“ as well as „Tell Chesty Puller I did my best.“—Chesty is symbolic of the esprit de corps of the Marines. Also, the recruits sing „Chesty Puller was a good Marine and a good Marine was he.“.