Chris Grollnek is an expert in workplace violence prevention and response to active shooter incidents. He has a strong interest in Lieutenant General Lewis "Chesty" Puller, the most decorated Marine in history. Puller joined the Marines in 1918 and saw action in numerous conflicts over 37 years of service, including World War I, Nicaragua, World War II in the Pacific, and Korea. Known for his bravery and leading from the front, Puller was awarded 5 Navy Crosses, second only to the Medal of Honor in significance.
2. LIEUTENANT GENERAL LEWIS
BURWELL “CHESTY” PULLER, USMC
Founder of CGPGMG, LLC, Chris Grollneck is an authority on workplace
violence prevention, especially in connection to active shooter incidents.
As a decorated veteran of the US Marine Corps and a retired law
enforcement officer, he was involved with the response to three active
shooter incidents. When he is not counseling clients or instructing
students, Chris Grollnek enjoys photography and reading, especially any
material on Marine Corps Lieutenant General Lewis B. Puller. To learn
more about Chris Grollnek’s career, visit www.ChrisGrollnek.com.
3. LIEUTENANT GENERAL LEWIS
BURWELL “CHESTY” PULLER, USMC
Known affectionately by the nickname “Chesty” because of his perfect
posture and the fact that his torso resembled a keg of beer, General Lewis
Puller left the Virginia Military Academy in 1918 to join the Marines, which
commissioned him as a 2nd Lieutenant. Deactivated as World War I
wound down and reactivated again as a corporal, he received assignment
to the U.S. occupation of Haiti. He regained his commission after returning
from Haiti, after which he shipped to Nicaragua to fight rebels. A brave,
resourceful leader who led from the front, Puller’s bravery in combat won
him the Navy Cross, an award second in significance only to the Medal of
Honor.
4. LIEUTENANT GENERAL LEWIS
BURWELL “CHESTY” PULLER, USMC
By then a major, Chesty Puller,was commander of the 1st battalion, 7th
Marines (1/7) of the First Marine Division when the Japanese attacked
Pearl Harbor. He led his troops in several Pacific battles, including
Guadalcanal, where he commandeered a destroyer to bombard a vastly
superior Japanese force threatening to annihilate three marine
companies. Puller also commanded Marines at the battles of Henderson
Field, Cape Gloucester, and Peleliu, called by some the toughest battle in
the Pacific Theater of Operations.
5. LIEUTENANT GENERAL LEWIS
BURWELL “CHESTY” PULLER, USMC
A colonel at the end of World War II, Puller took command of the 1st
Marine regiment when war broke out in Korea. He led the regiment’s
landing at Inchon and fought at the Chosin Reservoir. At one point he
reported, “We’ve been looking for the enemy for some time now. We’ve
finally found him. We’re surrounded. That simplifies things.” General
Puller’s Marine career spanned 37 years, during which time he won 5
Navy Crosses, the only Marine ever to do so. He remains the most
decorated Marine in the history of the Marine Corps.