Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller was born on June 26, 1898. He received 5 Navy Crosses and one Distinguished Service Cross while in the Marines. The Navy Cross is the highest award a Sailor or Marine can earn under the Congressional Medal of Honor. The Distinguished Service Cross is the 2nd highest Army decoration.

A short version of his life is as follows:

In 1917 Puller attended VMI. But after one year at the VMI he left to enlist in the Marine Corp because he said he wanted to, "go where the guns are." He never did receive opportunity to fight in WWI because the war ended.

Later during WWII he faught in Guadalcanal on which he recieved a Navy Cross and a Purple Heart in the "Battle for Henderson Field".

He also served in Korea where he earned another Navy Cross.

He retired from the Marine Corp in 1955. In 1965 at the age of 67 he requested to be reinstated into the Marine Corp to serve in Vietnam. His request was denied due to his age.

He died on October 11, 1971.

Here is a list of all of the decorations he received while in the Marine Corp.

Navy Cross w/ 4 award stars
Distinguished Service Cross
Silver Star
Legion of Merit w/ 1 award star & valor device
Bronze Star w/ valor device
Purple Heart
Air Medal w/ 2 award stars
Navy Presidential Unit Citation w/ 4 service stars
Marine Corps Good Conduct Medal w/ 1 service star
Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal w/ 1 service star
World War I Victory Medal w/ West Indies clasp
Haitian Campaign Medal (1921)
Nicaraguan Campaign Medal (1933)
China Service Medal
American Defense Service Medal w/ Base clasp
American Campaign Medal
Asiatic-Pacific Campaign Medal w/ 4 service stars
World War II Victory Medal
National Defense Service Medal
Korean Service Medal w/ 5 service stars
Haitian Medaille Militaire
Nicaraguan Presidential Medal of Merit w/ Diploma
Nicaraguan Cross of Valor with Diploma
Order of Military Merit, Eulji Cordon Medal
Chinese Order of the Cloud and Banner
Korean Presidential Unit Citation
United Nations Korea Medal

He even had a ship named after him.

Lewis B. Puller (FFG-23)

The Marine Corps's mascot is perpetually named "Chesty Pullerton." . He is always an English Bulldog.

A common incantation in Marine Corps boot camp is to end one's day with the declaration, "Good night, Chesty Puller, wherever you are!"

In Marine recruit training and OCS cadences, Marines chant "It was good for Chesty Puller and it's good enough for me"

Here are some quotes by Puller:

"We’re surrounded. That simplifies our problem of getting to these people and killing them." — November 1950, during Chosin Reservoir campaign

"All right, they're on our left, they're on our right, they're in front of us, they're behind us...they can't get away this time."