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Lewis B. Puller was born on August 18, 1945, the son of Lewis "Chesty" Puller, the most decorated marine in the history of the US Marine Corps. Like his father, Lewis Jr. joined the marines during the Vietnam War in July 1968. On October 11, 1968, while encountering North Vietnamese troops, Puller's rifle jammed and he tripped a booby-trapped howitzer round, causing him to lose his right and left legs along with his left hand and most of his fingers on his right hand. After surviving his injuries, he was discharged receiving the Silver Star Medal, the Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medal, two Purple Heart Medals, and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross for his service in the Marine Corps.
After the Vietnam War, Puller experienced bouts of Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome (PTSD), depression and alcoholism. Despite these issues, he became an attorney graduating with his Juris-Doctor (JD) from William & Mary Law School. As a lawyer he worked for the Veteran's Administration and on President Gerald Ford's Clemency board. Puller also became involved in politics, though unsuccessful, he ran a campaign for congress representing Virginia in 1978. He later won the Pulitzer Prize for his memoire, Fortunate Son: The Autobiography of Lewis B. Puller Jr. The memoir documents his life, particularly his relationship with his father Lewis Puller Sr., his experiences during the Vietnam War and life with his wife Linda "Toddy" Puller as well as children Maggie and Lewis III. Puller continued to suffer from depression and PTSD and died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound on May 11, 1994.
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Lewis B. Puller, Jr. papers, Special Collections Research Center, William & Mary Libraries.
Collection includes papers such as correspondence, printed material, correspondence, audio-visual materials and a draft of a manuscript entitled "Fortunate Son."
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