[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 58 (Thursday, May 12, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: May 12, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
                          LEWIS B. PULLER, JR.

  Mr. NUNN. Mr. President, yesterday the Nation lost a true hero, Lewis 
B. Puller, Jr.--a combat veteran of Vietnam.
  The dramatic story of Lew's life is movingly told in his Pulitzer 
Prize winning book, ``Fortunate Son.'' The story of his experiences in 
Vietnam, his crippling wounds, and his long and painful recovery 
graphically reminded us the courage and sacrifices of our men and women 
in uniform. His story brought home to the Nation the heavy burden 
placed on those who served and suffered ``in Vietnam and then returned 
to a nation where many did not fully honor their service. His 
description of the strength and dedication of his wife Toddy--who now 
serves as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates--is an 
inspiration to us all.
  Lew will be missed by his friends in the Senate, including his fellow 
marine and Virginian, Senator Chuck Robb, and his fellow patient during 
the long recovery from his wounds, Medal of Honor winner Senator Bob 
Kerrey. On the Armed Services Committee, we will miss the opportunity 
to benefit from the assistance he gave us during his long service in 
DOD's Office of General Counsel. On behalf of the Armed Services 
Committee, I would like to extend condolence--and our appreciation for 
his services--to his wife Toddy, and his children, Lewis and Maggie.
  I ask unanimous consent that the obituary that appeared in today's 
New York Times be printed in the Record following my remarks.
  There being no objection, the obituary was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                [From the New York Times, May 12, 1994]

      Lewis Puller, Jr., 48, War Hero And Prize-Winning Biographer

       Richmond, May 11--Lewis B. Puller Jr., who won the Pulitzer 
     Prize, for chronicling his fight against despair and 
     alcoholism after he lost both legs while serving in Vietnam, 
     died this afternoon. He was 48 years old.
       A spokesman for the police in Fairfax County, Va., said Mr. 
     Puller died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound at his home in 
     Mount Vernon, Va., just outside Washington.
       Friends said that Mr. Puller had recently confided in them 
     his fear that he was losing his battle with depression.
       Mr. Puller's book, ``Fortunate Son: The Healing of a 
     Vietnam Vet'' (Grove Weidenfeld, 1991), was written as a 
     tribute to his father, the late Gen. Lewis B. (Chesty) 
     Puller, the most decorated marine in the history of the 
     corps. The book won the Pulitzer Prize for biography in 1992.
       On winning the Pulitzer, Mr. Puller told interviewers that 
     he had planned to write a second book about the life of 
     United States Senator Bob Kerrey, Democrat of Nebraska, who 
     met Mr. Puller while both men recuperated from their war 
     wounds at the Philadelphia Naval Hospital in 1968.
       Mr. Kerrey said tonight: ``He was cut in half. He should 
     have died in the hospital. He had to will himself back to 
     life. Tragically, in the end he was not able to give himself 
     the lift he gave to all those who read his book.''
       In the book, he told of how he had stepped on an enemy land 
     mine while he was a Marine combat platoon leader in Vietnam. 
     ``I felt as if I had been airborne forever,'' Mr. Puller 
     wrote. ``I had no idea that the pink mist that engulfed me 
     had been caused by the vaporization of most of my right and 
     left legs.''
       Mr. Puller was awarded the Silver Star and two Purple 
     Hearts. He said, he had kept a whiskey bottle in his Da Nang 
     hospital room to fortify officers who visited him.
       His wife, Linda T. Puller, a member of the Virginia House 
     of Delegates, had come to Richmond today for a one-day 
     session of the Legislature. She was escorted from the Capitol 
     by a police officer.
       Mr. Puller also is survived by a son, Lewis 3d, and a 
     daughter, Margaret. Tonight, a family friend said funeral 
     plans had not been made.

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