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How would ‘Chesty’ handle today’s Corps?

Nothing stays the same forever. In 233 historic years, the Corps has evolved through technological revolutions, societal upheaval and changing attitudes. Nicknames came and went. So did weapons and bases, customs and procedures. Every generation has had an Old Corps vs. New.

Not that it always mattered.

“Old breed? New breed?” Chesty Puller famously pondered. “There’s not a damn bit of difference, so long as it’s the Marine breed.”

Discuss: Chesty’s lasting influence

Lt. Gen. Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller needs no introduction to Marines. From Haiti to the South Pacific to the Chosin Reservoir, Puller is the stuff of legend. Most of the time, you can’t go to bed at Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island, S.C., or MCRD San Diego, Calif., without sounding off, “Good night, Chesty, wherever you are.”

His lore defines for many what it means to be a Marine. Which brings to mind the question: What would Chesty do if he were alive today? How would he tackle the sticky questions that trip up Marines from Afghanistan to Okinawa?

So listen up, Marines. We’ve applied Puller logic to the great questions of today.

Here’s what Chesty would do.

COULD CHESTY FIND OSAMA BIN LADEN?

Maybe not, but he would have torn apart al-Qaida and the Taliban looking for him.

Chesty was a master at limited warfare and guerrilla tactics, which he displayed in Nicaragua. He conducted patrols deep within the jungle in enemy territory to root out rebel fighters, away from any support, often outmanned and outgunned.

Chesty and his platoon of Nicaraguan Guardia slaughtered the Sandinistas and their top leaders, rendering them ineffective. Unfortunately, he never caught the leader, Sandino.

“It would take a guy like Puller, thrashing around through the back country, to catch him,” Hoffman said.

According to his second Navy Cross citation, Puller was serving as a first lieutenant in the Guardia when his patrol drove deep into isolated and mountainous bandit territory nearly 100 miles from the nearest friendly base camp. His small patrol was ambushed by more than 150 rebels, armed with automatic weapons and various small arms, and well supplied with ammo.

Puller lost two men and had four wounded, but the patrol managed to defeat the larger force. “This single victory in jungle country, with no lines of communication and a hundred miles from any supporting force, was largely due to the indomitable courage and persistence of the patrol commander.”

WOULD CHESTY PASS THE COMBAT FITNESS TEST?

C’mon, really?

As one of the greatest combat leaders in the Corps, Chesty stayed in peak physical condition. He didn’t need a test to remind him of why it was important.

While under fire from the Sandinistas in Nicaragua, for instance, Puller dashed across railroad tracks to the opposite flank to prepare his men for a coordinated counterattack, then dashed back across to his own lines. The move wasn’t all that different from the CFT’s 880-yard sprint, and it was during this fight that Chesty earned his second Navy Cross.

In another display of physical prowess, during the battle for Guadalcanal, Chesty came under enemy fire again.

“The colonel fell to the ground, rolled over, and was up on his feet again, like a rubber man,” said a fellow Marine officer. “He kept that up for several minutes: hit the deck, roll. Stand and bellow orders.”

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