Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1962-02-25
he Most
Decorated
Marine

Marine
MARINE! The Life of Chesty
Fuller. BY Burke Davis.
(Little, Brown g. Co.;
$3.50
1t. Gen. Lewis Burwell
Fuller, the most decorated
man ever to wear a Marine
uniform, now lives quietly in
retirement at the village of
Saluda, in Middlesex County,
Va, about 100 miles from
Washington.
But even five years after
he retired unwillingly at the
age of ST, Chesty Fuller, still
speaks his mind just as he
did throughout his almost 40
years of service. And there
can be no doubt that, if Ma
rines are ever asked about it
in a QUESTIONABLE, the name
of "Puller" would be the best
known and most revered to
the men who wear the globe
and anchor.
Became Legend
This book is the story Of
the life of a man who became
a legend in his own time. In
the process of rising from
private to three-star general,
Chesty Fuller won five Navy
Crosses, more than any other
man, and more combat deco
rations than any Leather
neck since the corps was
founded 1856 years ago.
Most of the men who
served with Chesty in World
War II knew little about the
man with the pouter-pigeon
stance except that he was a
fierce enemy of the japanese
and spoke with a voice like
a bull horn. In fact, he had
behind him more than 100
combatS in the Banana Wars
OF Nicaragua and Haiti and
was known to certain middle
aged inhabitants of those
countries as Ell Tigre for his
nature and deeds.
At Guadalcanal, Cape
Gloucester and Peleliu, his
men found out about his
creed. In those sanguine con-
flicts, Chesty was the epit-
ONE of the old breed of
Leatherneck who regarded
war as an occupation. The
men of the LIST Regiment, list
Division, loved him when he
banned mattresses to the Off
GERS in a rest area because
there weren't enough for the
men, too. Many of them fol-
lowed him to their deaths at
Peleliu where the greater part
of his regiment was killed or
wounded in the first three
days.
Guiding Spirit
In Korea, he was the guild
ing spirit of the Marines
famous march from Chosin
Reservoir to the sea when
thousands of Chinese Com
munist troops had the divi-
sion surrounded. When told
that the enlightenment was
complete, Fuller growled,
the poor bastards. They've
got us right where we want
'em. We can shoot in every
direction now"
And it is recorded that the
Marines brought out with
them their wounded, their
dead and their equipment in
30-below temperatures de-
spite all that the enemy
could do.
Fuller, m the Korean days.
was an outspoken man
against many things: Top
heavy staffs, too much
school work and too little
field training, the shoepac
boot, public disinterest, the
prisoner-of-war policy and
a great many top officers
of the United States Army.
The civilian correspondents in
Korea had a sort of con-
splracy of silence to keep
Chesty out of trouble.
But when he reached
Honolulu and the West Coast
and encountered correspond
ents who did not know him,
the headlines said, Marine
General Wants Beer and
Whisky for Troops. Ice
Cream CTS Lambasted by
Fuller. Marine General Lam
basis Air Force"
Get EN- Tougher
The furore reached across
the Nation but Chesty him
self was astonished because
what he had said, almost in
passing, was that the Air
Force did not understand
close air support theory
he was not alone in holding.
We've got to get 'em
tougher to survive" he had
said. Throw all these girls
out Of camp. Get rid of the
ice cream and candy" And
he added, IF a few cans of
beer or a snort of whisky
will make men fight better,
it might not be a bad idea"
A Conspiracy?
His retirement came in 1855
and Chesty never changed his
opinion that there had been
a conspiracy to shunt him
aside, although he has mel
lowed somewhat since.
Fuller can break up a Ma
rine reunion just by making
an appearance and he nearly
stole the show at the Ribbon
Creek drowning court
martial. In 1856, he testified
at the trial of Sergt. Mat
thpyU hGoKeoO thof AEnKooy,