-
Born
West Point,Virginia -
Lewis Puller enlisted in the marine corps
-
Period: to
Time in Haiti
Puller reenlisted as a corporal and was deployed to Haiti for five years to train the newly formed Gendarmerie d'Haiti, a constabulary force of Haitian enlisted personnel and Marine officers. -
Graduated from OCS
and given the rank of Second Lieutenant and imditaly put on the inactive list due to post-war troop reductions. -
Navy Cross #1
After earning his first Navy Cross for his leadership against a rebellion led by Augusto Sandino in Nicaragua, Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller returns to the United States to teach at the Marine Officers Basic School. -
Navy Cross #2
Puller earned another Navy Cross for his gallantry in fighting local rebel forces during a daring ten-day march in Nicaragua -
To China
He then traveled to China to take command of the famous "Horse Marines" guarding American settlements around Beijing. -
Teaching Marine Officers Basics
He was recalled to the United States to teach at the Marine Officers Basic School at the Philadelphia Navy Yard. -
Return to China
Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller returns to China as the executive officer of the 2nd Battalion of the 4th Marine Regiment in Shanghai. -
World War II
When World War II began, Puller was commanding the 1st Battalion, 7th Marine Regiment at New River (later renamed Camp Lejeune), North Carolina, and was sent with his unit to Guadalcanal in the summer of 1942. -
Navy Cross #3
Puller, a Lt colonel, commanded the 1st Battalion, 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division, holding a line over a mile long.
The Japanese force, greater in number than Puller’s own forces, assaulted the line, but they held the line one man to every 5 yards. By 3:30 a.m. They had launched 6 major attacks on Puller’s line.
“By his tireless devotion to duty and cool judgement under fire, he prevented a hostile penetration of our lines and was largely responsible for the successful defense of the sector,” -
Navy Cross #4
Puller earned his fourth Navy Cross while serving as executive officer of the 7th Marines, 1st Marine Division while fighting in Cape Gloucester, New Britain, Papua New Guinea. “His forceful leadership and gallant fighting spirit under the most hazardous conditions were contributing factors in the defeat of the enemy during this campaign,” according to his citation. -
Camp Lejeune
He returned to the United States the following month to train recruits at Camp Lejeune, where he remained for the rest of the war. -
Navy Cross #5
He then earned his fifth Navy Cross at the Chosin Reservoir later that year by "attacking in a different direction" against ten Chinese divisions. -
Korean War
At the outbreak of the Korean War, Puller received command of his old unit, the 1st Marine Regiment, and led them during the landing at Inchon in September 1950. -
brigadier general
promoted -
major general
promoted again -
Camp Lejeune again
In 1954, he assumed command of the 2nd Marine Division at Camp Lejeune -
Ill health
he is forced to retire due to ill health -
he requested to return
He requested a return to service in 1966 to fight in Vietnam but was refused because of his age. -
Died
He was buried at Christchurch, in Middlesex County Virginia
