Fortunate Son

Imagine being the son of the most legendary US Marine of all time? Think those are huge boots to fill?

Lewis B. Puller, Jr.’s father is Lieutenant General “Chesty” Puller – recipient of five Navy Crosses and one Distinguished Service Cross, making him the most decorated marine in history. Puller Jr.’s Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir chronicles his service as a marine lieutenant in Vietnam attempting to fill his father’s enormous shoes. But Junior arrives home early missing both legs, most of his left hand, and a thumb and finger on his right hand after tripping a booby-trapped mine.

Fortunate Son tells… show more.

Fortunate Son won a Pulitzer shortly after its release, and rightfully so. Puller’s story is a moving one—a story that no doubt belongs to thousands of Vietnam vets. Serving their country to the best of their ability, following orders handed down to them the result of a misguided administration with a political agenda. Suffering wounds, some physical, most emotional (like my dad), from which they could never truly heal because there was no reconciliation.

Often poignant, at times humorous, Puller’s memoir is a moving one. His account of his alcoholism—the anger, the lost temper, the blackouts, the memory loss, a… show more.