After taking my Grandson Vinny to visit a number of Civil War
battlefield sites this past summer here in the MD, VA area, he
asked me if we could visit the grave site of Chesty Puller, whom
he had heard me speak of a number of times. Vinny thought we'd
just take a short trip down the road to Arlington National
Cemetery to visit Chesty's grave site but I told him that Chesty
wasn't buried there, but instead just outside the town where he
retired in Saluda, Virginia in the Christ Church Parish
Cemetery, Christ Church, VA, right on Route 33, named the
General Puller Highway.
I told my grandson that Chesty surely could have had the high
honor and accolades of being buried at Arlington but instead
chose to be buried in a humble church yard cemetery where his
wife, Virginia, is also buried next to him. I had the honor of
being in attendance when Chesty spoke to my Marine infantry
company, I/3/2 at Camp Lejeune in 1964.
Our company had won the base drill team competition that year
and also had won the Top Squad in the Corps that year during the
annual competition. Chesty's speech was a little slurred due to
some illnesses but I recall him saying, "If anyone ever tells
you the Corps isn't the best, you kick their azs."
Attached are some photos of my visit to Chesty's grave site with
Vinny where we had the honor of paying our respects to a great
Marine Corps legend.
Nick Dazio
Sergeant, United States Marine Corps (1961-1966)
Boot Camp, Parris Island, SC
ITR, Camp Geiger, NC
Marine Detachment, U.S.S. Northampton, CC-1, Norfolk, VA
India Company, 3rd Bn., 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine
Division, "Betio Bast-rds", Camp Lejeune, NC
Delta Company, 3rd Bn., 2nd Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division
1965 Dominican Republic (DomRep) Intervention
HQ Company, 10th Marine Regiment, 2nd Marine Division, Camp
Lejeune, NC