Posted on 10/20/2019 10:30:34 AM PDT by fugazi
While researching the Battle of Cape Gloucester, I came across this photo of the 7th Marine Regiment's commanders in January 1944. Granted, any group of officers that includes Chesty Puller (second from the left) has an epic advantage over the enemy, but when you consider these officers' service records, it really shows how stacked this unit was, and perhaps why the 7th Marines were called the "fightingest outfit in the world."
One Marine officer enlisted during World War I and served as a drill instructor (Frisbie)... two fought in Nicaragua (Puller and Frisbie)... Frisbie also faced rebels in the Dominican Republic... Puller saw action in Hayti... Two were China Marines (Conoley and Puller)... Two would later serve in Korea (Puller and Buse), and Buse also served during Vietnam...
Four earned Navy Crosses (Puller with five, Frisbie, Buckley and Conoley each have one)... The Army awarded Puller with their Distinguished Service Cross... Five wore Silver Stars (Puller, Frisbie, Conoley, Weber, and Buse)... At least three officers (Buckley, Buse, and Puller) were decorated with the Bronze Star with Combat "V"...
[...]
Maybe if you factored out Chesty Puller, you could pick any World War II Marine regiment at random and find an equally impressive command staff. Maybe not. But these Marine officers spent somewhere around a century and a half collectively, serving in one hellhole after another, fighting guerrillas, soldiers, snakes, mosquitoes, facing hunger, thirst, and exhaustion that most Americans can't even comprehend.
(Excerpt) Read more at victoryinstitute.net ...
Senior officers of 7th Marine Regiment at New Britain, January 1944. From left to right: Lt. Col. Odell M. Conoley (Commanding 2d Battalion), LTC Lewis B. "Chesty" Puller (Regimental Executive Officer), Col. Julian N. Frisbie (Regimental Commanding Officer), Lt. Col. Henry W. Buse Jr. (Commanding 3rd Battalion), Lt. Col. John E. Weber (Commanding 1st Battalion), and Capt. Joseph E. Buckley (Commanding Regimental Weapons Company)
Some very heavy duty officers there. None ever turned into a perfumed prince like weasely clark or Haig.
But, these are Marines after all.
Or called for the removal of their commander in chief like retired Adm. McRaven just did. They won a war and then went home.
Well known that Øbowel purged the flag ranks of those not on board with his agenda.
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