Jump to Navigation
MCA&F News

Recruit Honor Grad Awarded

Author: 
Roxanne Baker

"Chesty" Puller's legacy of leadership continues to inspire today's generations of new Marine recruits.

The Marine Corps Association & Foundation provides the "Chesty" Puller Recruit Company Honor Graduate Award for each graduating company at the Parris Island and San Diego Recruit Depots.

LCpl Andrew Peal was recognized with the award at the March 8, 2013 Company Kilo graduation for 3d Recruit Training Battalion, Marine Corps Recruiting Depot San Diego.

The "Chesty" Puller Recruit Company Honor Graduate Award is presented to the Marine of each graduating company who demonstrated the highest potential for future leadership and responsibility in the Marine Corps. Approximately 90 recruit training companies graduate each year and one recruit honor graduate is selected from each company.

LtGen Lewis Burwell "Chesty" Puller was one of the most decorated U.S. Marines in history, and is the only Marine to be awarded five Navy Crosses. He received the nation's second highest military decoration a total of six times, and in addition to the five Navy Crosses he was also awarded the United States Army Distinguished Service Cross.

The "Chesty" Puller Recruit Company Honor Graduate Award, other honor graduate awards and awards for all the Marine Corps' formal schools are presented through the MCA&F Marine Excellence Awards Program. Each year MCA&F gives awards to recognize nearly 11,000 deserving Marines and provides about 97 percent of all awards distributed in the Corps outside the USMC awards system.


LCpl Andrew Peal, center, recipient of the "Chesty" Puller Recruit Company Honor Graduate Award is pictured with his Senior Drill Instructor, SSgt Joseph C. Dodson, left, and his recruiter, Sgt Nathaniel D. Holmes.
Photo credit by LCpl Justin A. Fisher.


The "Chesty" Puller Recruit Company Honor Graduate
Award.

Photo credit by Ron Lunn

 

Comments

We called it the Puller crawl

 At Camp Pendalton in 51 the crawl was a 20 mile hike in those days full marching pack filled with sand (wet) at 15 mile an easy double time for the last 5 mile see who is the last standing ? GUESS WHAT he was there.