Puller's Runner: A Work of Historical Fiction about Lieutenant General Lewis B. 'Chesty' Puller

(Paperback)

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Description

Lewis "Chesty" Puller is the most famous and most decorated of all Marines.

Michael Abbo is an average American kid who enlists in the Marine Corps just before Pearl Harbor. As he struggles to adapt, he unwillingly finds himself assigned to the duty of runner for Chesty Puller, a highly decorated jungle fighter from the "Banana Wars." Abbo is shocked by Chesty's harsh training methods and the horrors of the amphibious warfare of the Pacific, but survives World War II, finishes college, and becomes a newspaper reporter for The Chicago Tribune. He is called up from the Marine Reserves in 1950 to serve in Korea, and finds himself assigned once again to Chesty Puller. He serves well throughout the Inchon landing, the battle for Seoul, and into the hellish Chosin Reservoir, meanwhile gaining respect and awe for the once-enlisted man who takes great pride in "leading from the front." Abbo eventually returns to the Tribune, and covers Puller's forced retirement as well as his dramatic testimony in the court martial of a Marine drill instructor at Parris Island.

For more info, check out www.pullersrunner.com

Reviews

Warfare has seldom seen the likes of Chesty Puller, and now we can experience the arc of this legendary leatherneck's eventful life, fully realized and vividly imagined by a pair of historical novelists who have clearly mastered the literature. From the malarial jungles of Guadalcanal to the subzero wastes of Chosin Reservoir, Puller's thrilling heroics spring to life upon the page. -- Hampton Sides, author of Ghost Soldiers and Blood and Thunder
It's an incredible story of valor and discipline, well-told." -- Doc Kirby, Book Bit, WTBF AM/FM November 11, 2009.
Everybody should read this book. -- Kathryn Raaker, Cincinnati, Ohio radio program, Let's Just Talk, September 19, 2009
Wow! Great story of courage and bravery." -- Research Papers, Greathistory.com, November 19, 2009
'Chesty' Puller was an offer in the Marine Corp and is the most decorated U.S. Marine in history. This book does a highly credible job of telling his story from the standpoint of a fictional 'runner' . . . It's well written and although a work of fiction, reads like a good biography. * Senior Scene *
Puller's Runner captures [my] father's brave and unselfish devotion to the country he loved and those who served with him. Oorah! -- Martha Puller Downs
Although Puller's Runner is historical fiction, readers will feel that they are right there and hearing a factual story. It should be especially meaningful for anyone who served in any of the areas where these events took place.... Puller's Runner is so well told, so comprehensive in its entirety that it seems that you are right there as "Chesty" Puller gives his runner the brief instructions and sends him out into the deep, dark night of the jungle full of the enemy or across a torn-up hill to deliver the message because other communication has been lost.... a great read! -- Glenn M. Busset, 29 Nov 2009 * The Manhattan Mercury *
The authors have done a marvelous job of capturing the historical details and amazing story of our Corps' most famous and highly decorated Marine....Here's a book for the entire Chesty Puller cult as well as history buffs who enjoy their history wrapped in exciting prose. This is an educational and entertaining - even fun read - and it's a dandy example of how a historically based novel should be researched and written. Buy it! You'll love it! * Leatherneck Magazine *

Author Bio

Nicholas Ragland graduated from Georgetown University in 1966. He served as a Marine in Vietnam during 1967-1968 as a platoon leader with C Company, 3rd Shore Party Battalion, and later as the supply officer of the 1st Battalion 12th Marines. He is currently the chairman of The Gorilla Glue Company and lives in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Joseph Rouse graduated from Miami University (Ohio) in 1996, and received an M.A. in English from the University of Cincinnati in 2003. After a stint in the corporate world, he now teaches high school English in Cincinnati, Ohio.