The author begins recounting his life from the summer of 1951, when he was six years old. In the summer of that year, his father, Lewis "Chesty" Puller, made a concerted effort to spend time with his son, after returning from his most recent war service. Chesty Puller had earned a promotion to the rank of brigadier general the previous Christmas for his heroic leadership in the Korean conflict, and by the summer of '51 he had spent over thirty of his fifty-three years serving his country as a highly decorated Marine. His young son, the narrator, quickly learned that his father's exploits had become famous in the annals of American military warfare. Even at the tender age of six, young Lewis knew he had a large legend to live up to. (read more)