Lewis B. Puller (1945–1994)

I was thinking of this book yesterday, Memorial Day 2016. FORTUNATE SON: THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF LEWIS B. PULLER, JR. won the Pulitzer for biography back in 1992. In it, Lewis Puller (son of the famous Marine Corps General 'Chesty' Puller), tells the story of how he was severely maimed as a young Marine lieutenant in Vietnam in 1968, and his long struggle back to a tenuous health and a kind of acceptance. In an encounter with an enemy mine, Puller, who was highly decorated for his service and injuries, lost both legs, his left hand, and part of his right hand. At one point during his long recovery, he weighed only 55 pounds. But he persevered in his determined struggle to survive and went on to marry, have children and become a respected attorney.

Warning: If you have a soul, this book will make you weep. It is perhaps one of the most moving memoirs of war and its consequences that you will ever read. I read the book nearly twenty years ago, and when I picked it up and looked through it again yesterday, I remembered my near-visceral reaction to Puller's painful and heart-rending story.

There is a sad epilogue to this book. In 1994, after a long battle with alcoholism and addictions to painkillers for his still painful war wounds, Lewis Puller died of a self-inflicted gunshot. He was buried with full military honors at Arlington. His story, FORTUNATE SON, remains as a testament to his courage. I salute you, Lt Puller. R.I.P. This book should be required reading for all members of Congress. Sadly, it is not. My highest recommendation.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the Cold War memoir, SOLDIER BOY: AT PLAY IN THE ASA… (plus d'informations)

2577 Fortunate Son: The Autobiography of Lewis B. Puller, Jr. (read 6 Feb 1994) (Pulitzer Biography prize for 1992) What a searing, worthwhile. poignant book! The author is the son of a famous Marine general, who became himself a Marine Lieutenant and went to Vietnam in 1968. He was horribly wounded--see pages 156-157--and he tells of his time in hospitals, his father's death, his campaign for Congress in 1978, his alcoholism, his recovery. The book eminently deserves the Pulitzer prize and is a major event in my reading. The book reduced me to tears many times and is surely unforgettable.… (plus d'informations)