My name is Matt, and I'm a podcastoholic. Welcome to the first post of my Podcast of the Week series. Each week, I will select my favorite podcast episode that I listened to during the week. Hopefully I can familiarize you with some new podcasters and also help to introduce you to some new and interesting topics.
For my innaugural post, I have selected Jocko Podcast Episode #121 - Marine! The Life of Chesty Puller by Burke Davis. This podcast, like most of the Jocko Podcast episodes, is a discussion about a book. The book, "Marine! The Life of Chesty Puller", by Burke Davis, provides a look into the life of Lewis "Chesty" Puller, the most famous and most decorated Marine in the history of The Marines. He is one of only two service members in the history of the United States Military to receive five Navy Crosses and one Army Distinguished Cross. He served in wars in Nicaragua, Haiti, World War 2, and Korea. He was a full on bad ass, and to this day the Marine mascot is a purebred English Bulldog named Chesty Pullerton.
It's not surprising that the main themes of a story about a highly decorated Marine are courage and bravery, and we get that in spades. From Chesty's exploits in Nicaragua where he was awarded his first Navy Cross for leading "five successive engagements against superior numbers of armed bandit forces" to his actions in Korea in the vicinity of the Chosin Reservoir where he was awarded his last Navy Cross, but it goes deeper than that. Like all of Jocko's podcasts, it boils down to leadership and discipline.
The most impactful aspect of Chesty's leadership traits was his ability and willingness to lead up and down the chain of command. He was revered by his men for being a tough but fair leader. He often displayed compassion, understanding, and empathy for the Soldiers that were serving under him. He was well known for walking among his men in freezing cold temperatures and under enemy fire giving encouragement and tactical advice. He was acutely aware of the hardships that his men experienced, and he did his best to provide comfort in the face of extreme danger and unrelenting circumstances. More impressive was his ability to lead up the chain of command. Chesty was not afraid to speak his mind or ruffle feathers. He famously berated the quality of American scopes and other inferior equipment and demanded that his Marines got the best gear to make their job easier. He despised paperwork and stated so on many occasions. Here are two of his more famous quotes regarding paperwork:
"We make generals today on the basis of their ability to write a damned letter. Those kinds of men can't get us ready for war."
"Paperwork will ruin any military force."
Above all, Chesty was a Soldier. He despised rear echelon commanders, so he led from the front. One of his most famous quotes was uttered by him after seeing a flamethrower demostration for the first time:
"Where the hell do you put the bayonet?"
Evidently setting his enemies on fire wasn't good enough. He wanted the ability to stab them as well.
The book and podcast go into far greater detail on the military engagements he participated in, his family life, his ups and downs dealing with the politics of a bureaucracy, and his later years.
There are two subsequent podcasts that are related to Episode 121. Jocko Podcast Episode #122 - "Fortunate Son" by Lewis Puller Jr. tells the story of Chesty's son who was also a Marine, and Jocko Podcast Episode #123 - A Fight Through Darkness with Marine Corporal Jake Schick which tells the story of a severely wounded Marine and the recovery from his injuries. I highly recommend all of these episodes.
If you are interested in military history, leadership tactics, and self-discipline, then Jocko Podcast is perfect for you. Enjoy!