Daily Motivational - 8/8/06

[JWG]

Daily Motivational - August 8th, 2006.

His name was Lewis Burwell Puller, and he came from West Point, Virginia...

When he enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1917, he was just Serial No.135517. From that modest beginning, the young man rose through the ranks to later become Lieutenant General Puller. But in the annals of military valor, he is known as "Chesty" Puller, not only for his bull chest but also for his absolute fearlessness and devotion to duty. "Chesty" Puller came to the Marine Corps out of Virginia Military Institute, the college where General Stonewall Jackson taught before the Civil War. The school itself had a history of wartime valor. VMI cadets fought as a unit in Jackson's Army, the only time in American history when a student body was committed to a pitched battle. Cadet Puller may have been inspired by their heroism. Or perhaps it was the example of a cadet four years ahead of Puller - Lemuel C. Shepherd. In either case, with World War I raging in Europe, Puller left VMI at the end of his freshman year to enlist in the Marines, saying simply, "I want to go where the guns are!"


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<CENTER><FORM onsubmit='return window.confirm("You are submitting information to an external page.\nAre you sure?");' target=_blank>
</FORM></CENTER>He didn't see service in Europe: the war was over before he could ship overseas. But he saw plenty of action before and during World War II and during the Korean War.<SCRIPT><!--D(["mb","
\nSlowly and steadily, he worked his way up the ranks. He received a direct commission. And he began \ncollecting awards for valor. By the time he retired from the Corps in 1951 he had earned more awards than \nany Marine in history: five Navy Crosses, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, two Legions of \nMerit with &quot;V&quot; device, the Bronze Star with &quot;V&quot; device, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.\n
&quot;Chesty&quot; Puller became more than a hero: he was an American\nLegend. His gruff, give \'em hell attitude was admired throughout the\nMarine Corps. His bravery and his nickname, were known to the millions\nof Americans on the home front. He was a man\'s man, a Marine\' s Marine.\nFor all his renown, however, there are few permanent monuments to\n&quot;Chesty&quot; Puller. One is in the Hall of Valor at the VMI Museum. There,\nthousands of visitors come each year to learn about the VMI men who\nmade our nation great. &quot;Chesty&quot; Puller\'s medals are on display along\nwith those of Admiral Richard E. Byrd, General Lemuel C. Shepherd, and\nothers.
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Slowly and steadily, he worked his way up the ranks. He received a direct commission. And he began collecting awards for valor. By the time he retired from the Corps in 1951 he had earned more awards than any Marine in history: five Navy Crosses, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Silver Star, two Legions of Merit with "V" device, the Bronze Star with "V" device, the Bronze Star, the Air Medal and the Purple Heart.
"Chesty" Puller became more than a hero: he was an American Legend. His gruff, give 'em hell attitude was admired throughout the Marine Corps. His bravery and his nickname, were known to the millions of Americans on the home front. He was a man's man, a Marine' s Marine. For all his renown, however, there are few permanent monuments to "Chesty" Puller. One is in the Hall of Valor at the VMI Museum. There, thousands of visitors come each year to learn about the VMI men who made our nation great. "Chesty" Puller's medals are on display along with those of Admiral Richard E. Byrd, General Lemuel C. Shepherd, and others.



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GOD BLESS THE MARINE CORPS!

MOTO!!



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\nSincerely,

Jonathan W. Gill\n\n
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[WannabeDevildog]

Great post Jon. And while we're on the subject of Marine Corps heroes (even though I believe that they ALL are heroes) here's the story of another, found on grunt.com

Carlos N. Hathcock II

On May 20th, 1959, at 17 years of age, Carlos N. Hathcock II fulfilled his childhood dream by enlisting in the United States Marine Corps. His ability as a marksman was soon recognized by the instructors on the rifle range at Camp Pendleton where he was undergoing recruit training. Later, while based in Hawaii as a member of Company E, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, Carlos won the Pacific Division rifle championship. Following his assignment in Hawaii, Hathcock was transferred to Marine Air Station, Cherry Point, North Carolina, where he quickly found himself shooting competitively again. This time he set the Marine Corps record on the "A" Course with a score of 248 points out of a possible 250, a record that stands today. The highlight of his competitive shooting career occurred in 1965 when Carlos out-shot over 3000 other servicemen competing to win the coveted Wimbledon Cup at Camp Perry.

This achievement led to his being sought out in Vietnam in 1966 to be part of a newly established sniper program. After his training was completed Carlos began his new assignment. Operating from Hill 55, a position 35 miles South-West of Da Nang, Hathcock and his fellow Marine snipers renewed a Marine tactic which had been born in the islands of the Pacific in World War II. Within a short period of time the effects of the Marine snipers could be felt around Hill 55. Carlos rapidly ran up a toll on the enemy that would eventually lead to a bounty being placed on his head by the NVA.

As a result of his skill Sergeant Hathcock was twice recruited for covert assignments. One of the them was to kill a Frenchman who was working for the North Vietnamese as an interrogator. This individual was torturing American airmen who had been shot down and captured. One round from Carlos' modified Winchester Model 70 ended the Frenchman's career. On another occasion Sergeant Hathcock accepted an assignment for which he was plainly told that his odds for survival were slim. A North Vietnamese general was the target, and the man died when a bullet fired by Carlos struck him from a range of 800 yards. Hathcock returned to Hill 55 unscathed. In one incredible incident an enemy sniper was killed after a prolonged game of "cat and mouse" between Carlos, with his spotter, and the NVA sniper. The fatal round, fired at 500 yards by Hathcock, passed directly through the NVA sniper's rifle scope, striking him in the eye.

Hathcock would eventually be credited with 93 enemy confirmed killed, including one Viet Cong shot dead by a round fired from a scope-mounted Browning M-2 .50 caliber machine gun at the unbelievable range of 2500 yards.

In 1969, during his second tour of duty in Vietnam, Carlos was badly burned while rescuing fellow Marines from a burning Amtrack. The other Marines and Carlos had been riding in the vehicle when it ran over an anti-tank mine. Despite the severity of his wounds it would ultimately be the ravages of Multiple Sclerosis (MS) that would bring Hathcock's extraordinary career to an end. In 1979 he was made to retire on 100% disability due to the advancing stages of the disease.

Gunnery Sergeant Hathcock has spent subsequent years instructing police tactical units in "counter-sniper" techniques. In 1990 a book entitled Marine Sniper, by Charles Henderson, was published, documenting the exploits of this one-of-a-kind Marine. Regretfully Carlos has yet to receive a penny of royalties from sales of the book, which has been produced both in hard cover and paper-back.

As this brief history is written he is confined to a wheel chair, struggling against the disease which he knows is terminal. Nonetheless he attempts to get to the police rifle range as often as possible. He still loves the crack of the rifles, the smell of gun powder as it drifts across the range, and the company of good men striving to be the best at what they do. The indomitable Carlos N. Hathcock II is indeed one of the "Few and Proud."

[SmokeyBandit]

I know this isn't Marine Corps Related, but I thought it was pretty motivating none the less. It's an excerpt from page 359 of Mike Durant's book, "In the Company of Heroes." Mike Durant is the blackhawk pilot who was a POW in Somalia. Many of you have probably seen the movie Black Hawk Down. This is about Delta Operator Gary Gordon who fought to his death for Durant. Gary Gordon was later posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.
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""In 1994, I myself was reminded that such men are not just born with these qualities of courage but are at times inspired to emulate them. I had been invited to Gary Gordon's hometown Lincoln, Maine, to participate in honoring his memory with a ceremony and monument to his courage and professionalism. In order to prepare some remarks for my statement, I got a book on the Medal of Honor from the local library. The book was full of interesting historical facts, and its record of heroic deeds was quite overwhelming. But when I got to the back of the book, what I found truely astounded me. There, located in a small pocket, was the library checkout card. Apparently, the book had been checked out only a few times since it's publication, and the last reader had taken it home almost 20 years before. The last person to sign out that book on the Congressional Medal of Honor would infact become the next recipient of the nations highest military award, a young teenager named Gary Gordon."

[rproctor922]

Marines Don't Do That
By: L. F. Chapman, Jr. - Commandant
DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY
HEADQUARTERS UNITED STATES MARINE CORPS
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20380

From: Commandant of the Marine Corps
To: All General Officers and All Commanding Officers - Active and Reserve
Subj: Marines Don't Do That

1. Early this month I received the following note from a distinguished friend:

General Chapman:

"Recently I was in an air terminal......(Most people there presented a pretty sloppy appearance) - coats unbuttoned, ties loosened, etc. There was a Marine Corporal (in uniform) who was just the opposite. I spoke to the Marine and pointed out the difference to him. I asked him why it was so? His answer was: 'The Marines don't do that.'"

"Regards,"

2. "The Marines don't do that." A simple statement of fact which leaves no question in the mind of the listener.

3.

Marines don't - wear a scruffy uniform.
Marines don't - slouch around with their hands in their pockets. Marines don't - wear long hair.
Marines don't - fail to respond with a "Yes, or No, Sir" when speaking with a senior. Marines don't - render a half-hearted or sloppy salute to the Stars and Stripes or to their seniors. Marines don't - gang up on each other.
Marines don't - question lawful orders.
Marines don't - lie or cheat or break their word.
Marines don't - abandon a fellow Marine in time of need.
Marines don't - let down their fellow Marines by succumbing to drug temptation.
Marines don't - meet problems with "It can't be done" or questions with the easy answer "No."
Marines don't - knock the system without recommending appropriate change. Marines don't - (the list is all but endless).
4. Marines don't do that. But why not? Because they are a breed apart. They are not the run of the mill; they are but a few good men. They are proud members of an elite Corps. They are as well trained as-if not better than-any military outfit, anywhere. They have led the way, in war and peace, for 196 years. And they know that today they are ready-combat ready-to move out, any time, with the Navy, go anywhere, take on anybody, fight and win.

We must keep our balance, raise our quality, maintain our standards, and be ready to serve our Country. Marines do that!

/s/ L. F. Chapman, Jr.
Commandant