#chesty puller

Today we mark the passing of an U.S. Marine, maybe THEE U.S. Marine. Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller, Born 26 June 1898 - passed 11 October 1971.

“Chestly” Puller was always a warrior. In 1916 he wanted to join the Marines to fight in the Mexican Boarder War but he was to young. In 1917 he attended the Virginia Military Institute but left in the summer of 1918 so he could fight in WWI. He was quoted saying he wanted to "go where the guns are!" In August of 1918 he enlisted in the U.S. Marines. WWI would be the only combat he would miss over his 37 years career.

In the mid-90's, while I was in the Army, I read the book "Marine!: The Life Of Chesty Puller" by Burke Davis and was amazed with his history. I have read several other books on him since.

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Korea, 1950. Chosin Reservoir. Twenty degrees below zero.

Lieutenant General Lewis "Chesty" Puller stood in the mess line behind his Marines—18-year-old riflemen with frostbitten hands and thousand-yard stares. An aide approached nervously.

"Sir, your meal is ready in the command tent."

Chesty didn't move. "I'll eat when my Marines eat."

"But sir, you're the—"

"I said I'll eat when my Marines eat."

He waited. The young private in front of him got his rations first. Only then did Chesty take his tray.

This wasn't a publicity stunt. This was who he was.

Lewis "Chesty" Puller spent 37 years in the Marine Corps—27 of those years deployed overseas or at sea. Nicaragua's jungles. Haiti's mountains. The hell of Guadalcanal. The frozen nightmare of Korea. Five times, they pinned the Navy Cross on his chest—the nation's second-highest military honor. No Marine before or since has earned five.

But here's what made Chesty legendary: he didn't just lead Marines. He was one.

While other generals commanded from safe headquarters, Chesty slept in the mud with his men. He carried the same rifle. Ate the same rations—though always last. When supplies ran short, he went without before any enlisted man did. When enemy fire intensified, he moved toward it.

His Marines would follow him into hell because they knew he'd be right there beside them, not watching from behind.

One story captures everything. During the Korean War, when 120,000 Chinese troops surrounded his outnumbered regiment at Chosin, a reporter asked if he was retreating.

Chesty's response became Marine Corps legend: "Retreat, hell! We're not retreating, we're just advancing in a different direction."

They fought their way out. Against impossible odds, they broke through enemy lines. Chesty led from the front the entire way—wounded multiple times but refusing evacuation until his men were safe.

When he finally retired in 1955, something unexpected happened. His leadership philosophy didn't retire with him.

Today—right now, this very moment—Marine Corps officers in the field still follow Chesty's rule: Officers eat last. It's not written in any manual. It's not an order. It's culture. It's honor. It's how you show 18-year-olds freezing in a fighting hole that their lives matter more than your rank.

Leadership isn't about the privileges of command. It's about the responsibilities.

Chesty Puller died in 1971, but walk into any Marine Corps mess hall today and you'll see his legacy alive. The lieutenants stand at the back of the line. The colonels wait until the privates have plates. The generals go last.

Because a leader who won't sacrifice for their people isn't a leader at all. They're just someone with a title.

Chesty proved that true leadership means this: Your Marines eat first. You eat last. And if there's not enough for everyone, you go without.

Lewis Burwell 'Chesty' Puller au grade de major-général – 1953-1954