The much-anticipated annual Lieutenant General Lewis B. “Chesty” Puller Memorial Formation Run, now in its 34th edition, is set for today, Thursday, Oct. 8. With an estimated 230 young Marine recruits carrying the Corps flags and banners through the streets of Saluda, this visual spectacle will depart at approximately 11 a.m. from the former Puller family home in Saluda and run to Christ Church Parish in the Christchurch community, arriving at approximately 11:45 a.m.
Running in cadence, the group offers a rare and exuberant “audio-visual” like no other, as they run from the former retirement home of the Puller family on Gloucester Road in Saluda to Christ Church Parish (Episcopal) on General Puller Highway (Route 33). Their departure from the Puller home is scheduled for 11 a.m. The four-mile stretch from Gloucester Road to the church offers plenty of viewing opportunities along the route.
Following their arrival at the church, there is a brief ceremony in the cemetery at the final resting place of Lt. Gen. Puller, a former parishioner and vestry member at Christ Church Parish. The Marines Hymn, the oldest official song in the U.S. Armed Forces, will echo across the hallowed grounds.
