Chuie, The Major

CHUIE, THE MAJOR The story of Arthur H. Turner, a Hero of Belleau Wood and Soissons, and a Marine in and Out of War Sensing greater opportunity in America, the eighth son of an English merchant emigrated to the booming coal mining town of Wilkes-Barre Pennsylvania in the 1880s and established a successful importing and retail foodstuffs business there. His son, Arthur, grew up in relative privilege, attending a local private school, then Princeton and MIT, emerging with a degree in civil engineering. Driven to help his country's allies survive and win what was becoming World War I, Arthur abandoned a bright future in American industry and joined the Marine Corps as an officer and served two years aboard warships in the Caribbean. Frustrated by his country's reluctance to enter the war in Europe, he resigned from the Marines and unsuccessfully attempted to join the French and British militaries. Rejoining the USMC nearly two years later, and the same month the U.S. finally joined the Allies in the war, Arthur--'Chuie' to his close relatives--helped build the Marine contingent of the American Expeditionary Force in Quantico Virginia, was promoted to Captain, and was the founding adjutant (second in command) of the First Battalion, Sixth Marine regiment--the 1/6.Newly-married Captain Turner sailed to France in late 1917. After six months training and front line trench duty, Captain Turner and the 1/6 helped lead the charges at the pivotal and savage battles that turned the tide and would lead to the War's end four months later. At Belleau Wood, the battalion helped take the Wood from top German forces, with Captain Turner receiving the Silver Star and French Croix de Guerre medals for valor. At Soissons a month later, while attacking across a wheat field, he lost a leg…