Editing Chesty Puller (section)

===United States occupation of Nicaragua===
In December 1928, Puller was assigned to the [[Nicaragua]]n [[Guardia Nacional (Nicaragua)|National Guard]] detachment, where he was awarded his first Navy Cross for his actions from February 16 to August 19, 1930, when he led "five successive engagements against superior numbers of armed bandit forces."  He returned stateside in July 1931 and completed the year-long Company Officers Course at [[Fort Benning, Georgia]], thereafter returning to Nicaragua from September 20 to October 1, 1932, and was awarded a second Navy Cross. Puller led American Marines and Nicaraguan National Guardsmen into battle against [[Augusto César Sandino|Sandinista]] rebels in [[Battle of El Sauce|the last major engagement]] of the Sandino Rebellion near [[El Sauce, León|El Sauce]] on December 26, 1932.

====Patrolling, June 4–6, 1930====
After Puller inherited command of Nicaraguan Guardia Nacional called Company M, he was prepared to conduct operations against the Sandinista rebels, and immediately departed on a patrol. Puller moved eastward for a five-day sweep, but soon received orders to head northeast. The patrol moved by day and camped each night in a village. In the afternoon of June 4, the company was at San Antonio cooking a steer in preparation for a trek into the uninhabited area around Mt. Kilande. After hearing some gunshots to the north, Puller sent thirteen men of the Guardia to investigate a thousand yards beyond the town. The Guardia encountered six rebels who may have been Sandinistas and a firefight occurred. The Guardia killed one rebel while the other five fled. The rebel bandit was armed with a Springfield rifle and Colt revolver. On June 6, the patrol moved toward the village of Los Cedros when it encountered an equally surprised force of Sandinistas who were on top of a brush covered hill that sloped about 175 yards down to the trail. The Sandinistas opened fire on the patrol and the patrol returned fire. Without hesitation, Puller dashed up the rise while yelling for his men to charge. Puller's men joined in the attack and fired their weapons while charging the enemy position. Puller and his Guardia were able to avoid being hit by small arms fire and crude improvised grenades thrown by the rebels. The rebels were routed and fled. Puller and his men realized they stumbled onto an insurgent camp. Seven dead rebel bodies were found and Puller's force suffered no casualties. Puller's patrol found two rifles, one pistol, and ten machetes. They also found rosters and papers in the rebel camp, which revealed that two of the seven dead rebels were leaders of the group. After that, Puller's company returned to [[Jinotega]].<ref name="Hoffman71-73">{{Harvnb|Hoffman|2001|pp=[https://archive.org/details/chestystoryoflie00hoff/page/71/mode/2up 71–73]}}</ref>

====Further operations, June 12 – July 12, 1930====
Puller departed on a new patrol on June 12. Puller's patrol searched fruitlessly and found nothing. Puller and his men arrived back at their base at June 20. At June 24,  Puller, [[William A. Lee|William "Ironman" Lee]], and their men joined forces with another government patrol of thirty men under the command of Lieutenant M.K. Chenoweth. Together the combined American-Nicaraguan force left Jinotega. At Santa Fe, Puller picked up an additional fifteen Guardias. After patrolling, Puller's men had encountered lone bandits on two occasions and killed them both. Puller's large group operated for nearly two more weeks, often split into two patrols with one following the other at a distance. The reinforced unit finally returned to base on July 12.<ref name="Hoffman71-73"/>

====Attempted ambush against the rebels, further pursuit, and raiding a rebel camp, November 6–27, 1930====
Puller and his Company M went out on a patrol again on November 6, 1930. Puller, Lee, and twenty-one men left Jinetoga to search for the enemy. The patrol picked up a trail of about thirty bandits who were pillaging small ranches near Santa Isabel. Puller's patrol caught sight of the enemy at 9:00 a.m.  on November 19 pursuing them for three miles, and wounding at least one of them. Puller's patrol decided to surprise the bandits. The patrol set up an ambush hiding themselves along a trail when a manager of a local [[finca]] spotted them and walked up to them to provide them information on a rebel band. With the ambush compromised by the finca manager, the patrol moved on. Puller's patrol reported into [[Corinto, Nicaragua|Corinto Finca]] on November 20 for supplies and pack animals, then left on the same day to check out a report of a rebel concentration near Mt. Guapinol. Puller and his patrol struggled through heavy rains, muddy trails, and flooded rivers. On the morning of November 25, the patrol came across a bandit trail. The Guardia under Puller followed this trail and at 10:30 a.m., the point sighted about ten rebels amongst some fallen trees. Puller's men opened fire and the enemy fled. Further along the trail, the pursuers came upon the rebel camp which had four buildings with log barricades in front and a hundred-foot cliff in the rear. There were at least forty or so rebels who fought briefly. Then the rebels threw their belongings and three wounded men into the ravine and then clambered down on ropes and ladders, which they pulled down after themselves. By the time some of the Guardia worked their way down into the draw the enemy had disappeared. Puller's patrol found two dead bandits and some supplies. Puller was certain that the three wounded bandits who had gone over the cliff had died. Puller's force captured documents which showed that one of their previous operations on August 19, 1930, wounded a minor chief of the rebels. After raiding this rebel camp, Puller's unit withdrew and returned to Jinotega on November 27 after three weeks of hard patrolling.<ref name="Hoffman78-79">{{Harvnb|Hoffman|2001|pp=[https://archive.org/details/chestystoryoflie00hoff/page/78/mode/2up 78–79]}}</ref>

====Patrol and raid against the rebels September 20–26, 1932====
{{main|Battle of Agua Carta}}
Puller discovered a trail which seemed to be used by rebels. Puller, along with Lee, gathered 40 Guardia Nacional members for a [[Raid (military)|raid]] like patrol against the rebels. Puller, Lee, and the Guardia left on September 20. After traveling a long distance, the patrol came by the northwest from the bank of Auyabal river. On September 26, Puller's patrol was ambushed by the rebels. Lee used a Lewis machine gun to keep the enemy pinned down while the Guardia Nacional worked their way up the slope opposite the rebel ambush party. When they gained the crest, they were able to fire directly into the rebel emplacements. Puller's men penetrated the center of a rebel encampment, killing at least 16 rebels. Of Puller's force, two men were killed and four wounded. In order to obtain medical care for the wounded, Puller immediately withdrew back to Jinotega. During Puller's withdrawal, his patrol was ambushed twice, but suffered no more casualties and fought off the ambushers. Puller's Guardia killed at least eight more rebels. Puller's force arrived back at Jinotega on September 30 after their raid on the rebel encampment.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.usmcu.edu/Portals/218/The%20US%20Marines%20in%20Nicaragua%20by%20Bernard%20C.%20Nalty.pdf?ver=2018-10-30-075558-780|title=The United States Marines In Nicaragua|publisher=Department Of The Navy, Headquarters United States Marine Corps Washington D.C. |format=PDF|access-date= October 21, 2020}} p. 33.</ref>

====Final battle in Nicaragua December 26, 1932====
{{main|Battle of El Sauce}}
There were rumors that Sandinista rebels were planning an attack on a ceremony that was going to commemorate the completion of the [[León, Nicaragua|León]]{{En dash}}[[El Sauce, León|El Sauce]] [[Rail transport|railway]]. An expedition of eight American marines and 64 Nicaraguan National Guardsmen led by Puller were sent to El Sauce on the December 26, 1932. As Puller's force of American marines and Nicaraguan national guard were traveling some distance in their train to their destination, they were ambushed by the rebels from both sides of the tracks. Puller and [[William A. Lee]] quickly with their troops immediately engaged the rebel ambushers. After a firefight of one hour and ten minutes, the Marines and Guardia Nacional were able to drive off the rebels. Puller's victorious force had suffered three dead and three wounded for the Guardia Nacional. The rebels suffered thirty one killed and lost 63 live horses to capture by Puller's force. The ceremony went on as planned two days later, while Puller and Lee got promoted.