The Korean War-Fire and Ice-Chesty Puller

I recommend "Chesty" by Jon T. Hoffmann. It's an excellent biography of him. Chesty Puller was a superb combat leader whose mouth kept him in trouble with the higher-ups, much like many other superb combat leaders.

As we used to say in Boot Camp, every night, " Good night Chesty Puller, wherever you are."

Semper Fi,

Tom

S.L.A. Marshall.

tomwatkins45

I recommend "Chesty" by Jon T. Hoffmann. It's an excellent biography of him. Chesty Puller was a superb combat leader whose mouth kept him in trouble with the higher-ups, much like many other superb combat leaders.

As we used to say in Boot Camp, every night, " Good night Chesty Puller, wherever you are."

Semper Fi,

Tom

 

We were still doing that in 2001.  There isn't much to do on deployment.  In a place like Iraq, there is little to do with down-time but read.  Chesty's biography got passed around to everybody.  It helps keep Marines motivated.

Been that way for a long time. I went through Parris Island in early '65. My Senior Drill Instructor was with 1st Marines in Korea. Attitude is everything!

Semper Fi,

Tom

I went through Parris Island back in February - May 1984, and we said goodnight to Chesty then, too. I'm sure the recruits still do it to this day. I'm gonna have to ask my oldest son about it, though - he went through Parris Island in 2003.

“Chosin, Frozen Ordeal of the Korean War” and “The Coldest Winter” are both good reads on the subject. The first book concentrates on just the battle, while the second book is wider in scope and covers the whole war in the lead up and aftermath of Chosin.