Review (PDF) Marine!: The Life Of Chesty Puller
An action-packed biography of the most decorated soldier in the history of the US Marine Corps“We are flanked on both sides by an enemy that outnumbers us 29:1. They can’t get away from us now!”—Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller, USMC In the glorious chronicles of the US Marine Corps, no name is more revered than that of Lt. Gen. Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller. The only fighting man to be awarded the Navy Cross five separate times—a military honor second only to the Congressional Medal of Honor—he was the epitome of a professional soldier. A son of the South, descendant of Robert E. Lee, and cousin to George S. Patton, Puller began his enlisted career during World War I and moved up through the ranks as he proved his battlefield mettle in Haiti and Nicaragua, with the Horse Marines in Peking, in the Pacific Theater of World War II, and in the nightmarish winter engagements of the Korean War. Fearless and seemingly indestructible, adored by the troops he championed yet forced into early retirement by a high command that resented his “lowly” beginnings and unwillingness to play politics, Puller remains one of most towering figures in American military history. Bestselling military biographer Burke Davis paints the definitive portrait of this extraordinary marine hero.
File Size: 1335 KB
Print Length: 400 pages
Publisher: Open Road Media (March 29, 2016)
Publication Date: March 29, 2016
Sold by: Digital Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B01BM1TJ48
Text-to-Speech: Enabled
X-Ray: Enabled
Word Wise: Enabled
Lending: Not Enabled
Enhanced Typesetting: Enabled
Best Sellers Rank: #29,122 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store) #2 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > History > Military > Korean War #5 in Books > History > Military > Korean War #5 in Kindle Store > Kindle eBooks > Biographies & Memoirs > Historical > Military & Wars > Branches > Marines
I am a Vietnam Vet and was in the same Province as Chesty's son Lewis Puller Jr. (Quang Nam Province, 1970) One of the reasons I read the bio about his father as well as the son's own auto-bio. War is no joking matter and no game as Lewis Jr. found out. You also can't fight a war all by yourself which is sometimes the impression gained from Burke's book. The striking point to me about Chesty Puller however, more than his heroism under heavy enemy fire, is that Chesty, advancing from Private to Lieutenant General, throughout his long career never forgot where he came from. Time after time in incidents vividly described in Burke's book, Burke clearly shows that Chesty never got carried away with his own legend and always maintained a genuine and real concern for the enlisted men who did the fighting and the dying. And who, when he saw Officer abuse of enlisted men, as opposed to ordinary disipline nipped it in the bud. This book clearly shows that the enlisted men were very close to Chesty's heart and that Chesty never asked anyone, enlisted or NCO or Officer to do anything that he had not or would not do himself. Very excellent book. Was not able to stop reading once I began it.
Burke Davis wrote a definitive account of the legendary 'Chesty' Puller. It's as much a biography of Puller as it is a history of the Corps, for the two were intertwined for the better part of forty years. Very easy read, always entertaining, never a dull page. Should be required reading for all military professionals, especially Marines. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Burke Davis did a spectacular job with this book and I highly recommend it. Not having served in the Marine Corps, this book gave me a pungent taste and deep admiration for this elite fighting brotherhood of which Puller is a legend. What came through to me most about Puller was his incredible humanity and compassion for his men. Puller would never eat until his men ate first, and in the midst of the frostbitten epic Marine engagement at the Chosin Resevoir in the Korean War, Davis writes that Puller took his own jacket off to give to a grunt who didn't have one. This to me is what made Puller special and puts a gold plate on the heroic bust that Davis has crafted - fearsome pugnacity, steely toughness, and unparalleled leadership were qualities he possessed in uncommon quantities, but his heart of gold was what makes him and this book stand out. It's a sad commentary on modern day America that a man like Chesty Puller would probably be mocked, scorned and marginalized. A good read.
On a par with Stephen Ambrose, Burke Davis has written a most interesting account of Chesty Puller: A commander whose unit (1st Marines 3rd Batallion) I served with after the 1st Division returned from Korea. I'm sad to say I never met Chesty but served with many who did - he was a legend in his own time, that's for sure.I cannot attest to the authenticity of this story nor it's bias (as some have suggested). But that asside, having earned all the medals he earned and to have reached LT. Gen. while beginning as an enlisted man Chesty, in my book, was definitely a Marine's Marine - and one of my heros. And, it seems as though he accomplished all this in spite of politics.Mr. Davis' book is very easy to read - almost like a novel. At times this story is so intense that it leaves you not wanting to put the book down. Perhaps Davis and Spielberg can get together and make a film - i.e. "Band of Brothers".If you are a Marine, former Marine, or an American patriot, you will enjoy this account of one of the few real American heros.
I expected to learn of all of the fabled stories of the greatest fighting Marine ever. I did and more. The author interjects with letters to his home and children which showed what a truly decent and true person that Chesty really was. I will always remember the scene where he has just survived and won some of the touighest battles in history and then scrolling a note of concern for his child's health. He was tough as nails, yet his men saw his caring side. He did not need a strategic planning session, mission statement or staff retreat. He just went for the attack and got the job done. I was truly inspired and remain so. Good night Chesty...Wherever you are!
I had the luck and privilege to sit and talk with General Puller's widow one evening in their home in Saluda, Virginia. When I entered the room where Mrs. Puller was seated, playing solitaire, a copy of this book was by her side, on her left. On her right, atop a bookshelf, were the general's 50+ medals, including his five Navy Crosses - for the reader who does not know, the Navy Cross is second only to the Medal of Honor as an award for combat valor. Mrs. Puller was then 88, still beautiful, still mentally sharp, and was so very gracious to me. A chance wedding invitation had brought me to Saluda, this book had lead me to Mrs. Puller's home. For anyone who cares about the Marines - read this book; for anyone who cares about this country and its role in this world - read this book; for anyone who cares about the greatest generation - read this book. An excellent and well-written account of General Puller's life, and what it takes to be a combat Marine.
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