Happy Birthday Major General Smedley Butler! Born July 30, 1881, Butler won renown as a wounded teenage officer in the Boxer Rebellion, and was twice awarded the Medal of Honor for exploits in Mexico and Haiti (1914-1915). During the Boxer Rebellion, Butler took part in the relief of the siege of Tientsin and the march on Peking, suffering injuries during each battle. Outside the gates of Peking during fierce fighting, Butler was struck by a Chinese bullet that probably ricocheted off the walls of the foreign city. The bullet went off of the wall and struck his uniform button and furrowed across his chest taking off part of his large Marine eagle, globe, and anchor tattoo. Butler later remarked it cleared South America off his chest. Butler served for 33 years in the Corps. See Gen Butlers uniform, and find out more about his heroic actions on our Virtual Tour: bit.ly/WN5alV
Posted on: Wed, 30 Jul 2014 14:46:28 +0000
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