21 April 2022 Garand Picture of the Day

[Mark in Rochester]

Information

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[browningautorifle]

Chesty...with his Navy Cross collection.

[ssgross]

I've been waiting for Chesty to show up around here.
After his tour in Vietnam while waiting for his enlistment to be up, my father was assigned to be Chesty's driver - taking him to and from Doctor's offices etc. He had the honor of being Chesty's last driver, and was issued his dress blues for the duty. I had the honor of wearing that same uniform, although mom had to take off the Sergeant stripes and attach Corporal.

[Mark in Rochester]

I've been waiting for Chesty to show up around here.
After his tour in Vietnam while waiting for his enlistment to be up, my father was assigned to be Chesty's driver - taking him to and from Doctor's offices etc. He had the honor of being Chesty's last driver, and was issued his dress blues for the duty. I had the honor of wearing that same uniform, although mom had to take off the Sergeant stripes and attach Corporal.

Have any Pictures?

[ssgross]

Sadly I don't have any. I do have an old WW1 USMC recruiting poster that Dad said was given to him by Chesty or his wife after he died. I'll have to ask him again.
There is a picture of Chesty known to exist that has handwritten "Sgt. Gross...Semper Fi", and then signed L.B. Puller. Dad's been trying to find it for decades. I remember seeing it in his office once when I was very young...maybe <10...and thinking "that guy's forehead is weird". Never thought about it again until I was marine and he couldn't find it.

[ssgross]

ugh. The back of it I know has a note dad wrote about where he got it from. Been years since I framed it and the back of the frame is sealed

[eb in oregon]

I was an Army guy, but I know Chesty Puller when I see him. He deserved at least one Medal of Honor but he just ****ed people off above him.

[ssgross]

He deserved at least one Medal of Honor but he just ****ed

That's what we are told, at least I was told that from the first day on Parris Island. However, I went back and read his Navy Cross citations just yesterday. I don't mean to diminish Chesty's accomplishments, courage, bravery in any way, but given all I've read about recently on MoH recipients (I went on a binge during the pandemic trying to read all citations, starting with the most recent) including the 9 chaplains and the other USMC legends Dan Daly & Smedley Butler, I don't think I believe the Chesty "deserved but ****ed too many people off". The MoH is not only the highest award, but is also the most narrowly defined, and carries with it the most scrutiny.
Now, to play the other side...go read the book "Alone at Dawn"...or watch the drone footage of the action on YouTube first and then read just the last chapter about how the Seals tried to deny Chapman the MoH in order to hide how they left him for dead on that mountain. I believe it was the now otherwise infamous Adm. McRaven that was outspoken about against Champan for this reason. I'll have to go back and look. If anyone can correct me, I'm happy to edit this post with the correct name, or delete the reference altogether.
Back to Chesty...is there some other action...not included in the 5 Navy Crosses that rose to MoH level that was swept aside entirely for politics that I don't know about? Maybe...I'd love to see/hear it.
Now....politics surrounding not getting a star on his shoulder until 1951 and what happened when he did...that one is entirely correct given my Dad's first hand account of his personality and leadership style. His star and subsequent promotion was what we call a "punitive promotion" to get him out of the way - final promotion to Lieutenant General being upon retirement.

[eb in oregon]

Remember the citation for each medal for valor is quite specific. And like an evaluation report it is written by the recommender for that specific medal. I made our state Sergeant Major mad once. While supervising an Air Assault road march at night the state CSM came by to ask how it was going. "Good Sergeant Major." Chat for a bit and he asks me what I think of his new promotion criteria for Senior NCO's. Respectfully Sergeant Major not much. Eyes wide "Why is that?" Because Sergeant Major you have changed the system so that years of service, education, decorations earned, and positions held mean nothing. All that does is get you to the board who then evaluate your entire career on the latest NCOER (Non-commissioned Officers Evaluation Report). So he asks "Why isn't that fair?" And I reply a guy can be Audie Murphy yet if his supervisor doesn't like him he can give a report that my be adequate but not inclusive or fair. Then too a guy can be an oxygen thief but if his supervisor likes him he can give a better than deserved NCOER. CSM says "The NCOER is subjective and it must be signed by others." Right CSM, it is a subjective document. He left mad. And for some odd reason I suddenly went from 1 on the E-8 promotion list to 13. Some documentation that had been on file for ten years disappeared. But before he changed the system I had served on promotion boards. Every detail of an NCO's career was examined, to include how often he went to schools to better their career. And I'll tell you true, as a senior NCO with subordinates I gave fair evaluations based on performance, military bearing, and all criteria required. And was forced to change them if anything was less than "Excellent." I changed them, but I refused to sign them. So Chesty very well could have earned the MOH, but it's all in the telling of the story, right?

[HOOKED ON HISTORY]

My Great uncle obviously got all the good genes in our family.
Maj. Gen. H. Lloyd Wilkerson, Usmc (Ret) Obituary - The Greenville News

Started as a PFC retired as Major General
Semper fidelis uncle Lloyd