Customer Reviews

Chesty: The Story of Lieutenant General Lewis B. Puller, USMC

5 star:		(21)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
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1 star:		(0)

 

 

Chesty Puller is one of the most revered warriors in U.S. military history, and it was surprising that until the publication of this biography, there was scant few books on this legend - outside of a slightly exaggerated biography published shortly after his forced retirement from the Corps.

Lt. Col. Hoffman presents a thorough, if slightly dry, narrative of the life of Lewis B. Puller. Expecting a slight bias from the author - a Marine himself - I found the biography largely free of bias and very fair. Every facet of Chesty's immense personality, whether it be good or bad, is given equal footing throughout. Also, Lt. Col. Hoffman avoided the trap of basing his biography on the numerous myths that surround Chesty's life.

I found the second half of the book to be most interesting. While Chesty's early life and Marine career - including his stints in Haiti, Nicaragua, and China - are worthwhile in establishing his warrior spirit and forging the man, there is not much depth in these topics. I presume this is due to lack of documented information more than any omissions by the author, but it does make for a slightly tedious first half of the biography. Once the narrative begins touching on Chesty's exploits in World War II, Korea, and post-Marine life, the full measure of the man is revealed, and more relevant information is presented. It is here that the "meat" of his life exists, and we get a good picture of how he was equally lauded and criticized for his tactical strategies, personality, and opinions of the military establishment.

Also, we get a partial, yet satisfying, glimpse of his interaction with his son, who would later become famous with his book "Fortunate Son". While some reviewers have criticized the author for omitting Lewis Puller, Jr.'s suicide several years ago, I believe that this tangent would only serve to be off-topic and out-of-place in a biography of a man who died in the early 1970's. The interaction of father and son following the son's gruesome wounds in Vietnam are enough of a glimpse - and a powerful one at that - to satisfy most readers.

I would highly recommend this book in favor of "Marine!", because it is far more in-depth, fair, and accurate. Lt. Col. Hoffman has done an excellent job with this biography. The only thing that prevents me from rating a full five stars is that the narrative is slightly dry and that the first half of the book is a little slow. As such, the casual reader may find it difficult to plow through the whole book.

Col. Hoffman has written the definitive biography of the greatest Marine hero of them all. "Chesty" is in the same league as William Manchester's biography of Douglas MacArthur, "American Caesar". It's that good. Any future biographer of Chesty Puller will have to pass through this vibrant, meticulous work.

This is no mere hagiographic saga that ignores or dismisses General Puller's faults. Nor does it repeat as gospel some of the more outlandish tales that have sprung up around the General. These flaws doomed a previous biography ("Marine", by Burke Davis) to obscurity. Rather, "Chesty" is that rare thing, a scholarly book that reads like a novel.

Chesty Puller was the ultimate grunt's grunt, always leading from the front and never asking his men to do anything he wouldn't. He was, and remains, revered, literally a legend in his own time. Col. Hoffman has captured the essence of both the man and the legend.

Boy was I suprised to see "Chesty" on a feature table in our local [store]. Although Chesty Puller wasn't that well known outside his beloved Corps, his combat record is well known to all Marines. Col. Hoffman's extensive research of Chesty's military career has lead to an exceptionally fine biography. Covering a span of over seventy years and three major wars this book reads more like a novel. Much like Geoffrey Perret's "Old Soldiers never die" (MacArthur's biography), every detail is included and well documented. Sure to be a historical reference for many years.

Lieutenant General Lewis B. ("Chesty") Puller has an almost mystical quality for all who have borne the title "Marine." Lt Col Hoffman has written the definitive biography of Chesty Puller. The hero of Guadalcanal and the Chosin Reservoir is also criticized for his record casualties at Pelileu. General Puller's perserverance overcomes poor performance in various schools, scorn towards staff officers and controversial viewpoints that shortened his career. His story is one for all students of military history to enjoy. I recommend it with the utmost enthusiasm.

Jon Hoffman's many years of labor have produced the first definitive, unblinking story of one of the nation's most colorful and iconic combat leaders. "Chesty" reflects Hoffman's unique combination of meticulous research, rigorous analysis, and sparkling narrative that characterized his earlier work on Red Mike Edson. This latest work will earn national awards for history writing and will remain the standard reference for decades. With the publication of "Chesty," Hoffman demonstrates that he is the premiere biographer of the Marine Corps and indeed one of the best in the country. Highly recommended!

There's a marvelous scene in one of the first Viet Nam war movies, "The Boys in Company C." The movie begins with the obligatory first-day-at-boot-camp sequence, which ends with lights out. The drill instructor makes the recruits lie in bed at attention and shout "Goodnight Chesty Puller, wherever you are!" and then turns the lights out and leaves. After a moment, one of the recruits says into the darkness "Who the hell is Chesty Puller, anyway?" For most who are or were in the Marines, he needs no introduction, but for the public at large, this book will fill the gap for those who are interested.

Lewis Burwell Puller joined the Marines at the end of WW1, and spent most of the 20s as an enlisted man seconded to the Haitian Gendarmerie, acting as an officer in that organization. He became an officer in the Marine Corps in the mid-20s, and spent the late 20s and early 30s in Nicaragua. By the mid-30s, his reputation as one of the premier small unit tactics experts in the Marine Corps resulted in his teaching that course at the Marines Basic school for three years. About a third of the junior officers in the Corps during the period took the course from him. When WW2 started, he served first on Guadalcanal, then New Britain, and finally Peleliu. He later saw extensive action in Korea, retiring in 1955 and dying in 1971. He had an extensive combat record and a series of awards that are hard to match: he remains the only Marine ever awarded five Navy Crosses.

It's difficult to understand or explain what he personifies to Marines (and I should point out that I'm not a Marine myself). Puller was an iconoclast from the moment he became a Marine, and also something of a subversive. At the same time he was very insistent on loyalty to the Corps and the country, and worked very hard to make sure that these things were always held dear by his troops. One of the revelations of the book, to me, was that he turns out to have been an excellent training officer (though he disdained the duty) and a relatively decent staff officer (though he despised this duty, and everyone else who did it). Hoffman does a rather good job of recounting Puller's career, and is surprisingly frank and critical (not neccessarily negative) when examining the choices Puller made and the opinions he expressed.

Chesty Puller is a hard subject to write about. Given his legendary status (note I didn't use the word almost: the man had more stories made up about him than Elvis) the author admits to more than a bit of trepidation in writing the book, and merely notes that the only book-length treatment of Puller's life is Marine!, the authorized biography which is really more of a memoir, and not terribly reliable. Hoffman's book, by comparison, is a balanced, well-researched, incisive biography of a man who turns out to have been much more complex than he let on, and a more rounded soldier (or Marine) than his legend implies. This is an excellent book; I would recommend it highly.

Chesty Puller is a legend in the US Marines and this book is a testament to the career of one of the most interesting men to walk this planet. A true warrior and not a politician, he was awarded 5 Navy Crosses instead of receiving the Medal of Honor. Unlike most officers, he led his men from the front and was always the last man off the field. A fantastic story about a fantastic individual.

In December of 1980, I arrived at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego to begin 11 weeks of boot camp without the slightest idea of who Chesty Puller was. Three months later, having successfully negotiated basic training, I was fully aware of the man. Lt. Gen'l. Puller's exploits dominated the lore with which we were instilled. His was the "esprit de corps" that every Marine was encouraged to emulate.

It was with nostalgic pleasure, then, that I found this Puller biography by Lt. Col. Jon T. Hoffman twenty-five years later. Puller's combat experiences are suspensefully captured, though Hoffman approaches the legend with the care to avoid hagiography. He presents an extraordinary fighting machine who, nevertheless, possessed a few traits of an all too human nature.

As with most books of the type, the maps could be so much better and one wonders if it's the authors or the publishers that dumb them down to the point that all but the most basic detail is excluded. But, good maps or bad, Chesty: The Story of Lieutenant General Lewis B. Puller, USMC is an excellent military biography of a man who will forever be remembered by every former, current, and future Marine for his awe inspiring courage and leadership. 5 stars.

When I first heard someone was going to do a biography on Chesty I thought they were nuts. Why do we need another Chesty book? You see, I am a Marine and I understand the lore and myth that surrounds Chesty in our everyday life. How could anyone possibly write an objective book about Chesty Puller? For a long time in my career whenever I find myself in a tough scrape, I often ask "What would Chesty Do?" and proceed to solve my problem in a like manor. For a non-Marine, it is impossible to understand what Chesty means to us. Myth, Legend, Hero, he is all that and then some. To us, he is THE Marine of all time, with no exceptions. Jon Hoffman cut through all that. Jon Hoffman has gathered his resources and the facts and really looked at Chesty hard, and from a detracted point of view. He asked questions about Chesty no other Marine possibly could have. In the end, after he examined Chesty in a purely professional military sense, I found myself loving Chesty all the more, as well as respecting the total military professional he was. I guess I needed another look at Chesty after all.

Semper Fi Lt.Col. Hoffman,
Well done.

Puller was one of the real old time Warriors that Robert E.Lee or Stonewall Jackson would of known and welcomed to their outfits. Its a pity that he is not so well known outside of the Soldiers world.
This book frankly was a real surprise to me as I did not expect such a well researched and balanced book by a "Brother" Marine Officer. But if one wants to get past all the nonsense put out and find instead the real Man, then go no further. The other book "Marine!" is a lot more fun to read, but if you want the cold hard facts of a really great warrior go here instead.
Altogether another example of the right man at the right place at the right time.