Noble Warrior: The Life and Times of Maj. Gen. James E. Livingston, USMC (Ret.), Medal of Honor [Hardcover]

James E. Livingston (Author), Colin D. Heaton (Author), Anne-Marie Lewis (Author), Gen. Al Gray USMC (Ret.) 29th Commandant (Foreword), Brig. Gen. William Weise USMC (Ret.) (Foreword), Gen. Paul X. Kelley USMC (Ret.) 28th Commandant (Foreword)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 15, 2010

<DIV><p class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt">Major General James E. Livingston received the Congressional Medal of Honor for his role as an infantry company commander at Dai Do, Vietnam, during a three-day grinding battle of attrition in which the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, numbering only 800 men, victoriously battled 10,000 or more NVA. His remarkable life and career is recounted in a book that has it all: exciting first-person eyewitness account of historic battle; the history of the development of tactics and strategies used in today’s war on terror; and a compelling story of leadership in action and individual courage in combat.

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Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Military history enthusiasts will enjoy Livingston's eyewitness accounts of the Vietnam War in his first book. Hailing from rural Georgia, Livingston left his family's farm to join the Marine Corps in 1962 after receiving his draft notice. He knew he "wanted to be with a very aggressive outfit," and this gung-ho attitude, combined with a meticulously eye for detail (some episodes are described down to the hour), informs the accounts of his wartime experiences in Vietnam (for which he won the Medal of Honor) and the Philippines, and his Marine Corps "twilight years" in California, Kansas City, and New Orleans. Livingston spent most of his life in the military and it shows; he knows his stuff and speaks with the voice of authority. Though he clearly benefited from the research assistance of Heaton, who served under his command as a scout sniper, and Lewis, who holds a master's degree in international relations from American Military University, the prose is flat and a liberal use of jargon, clichés, and a tendency toward political pronouncements unrelated to Vietnam distract from an otherwise engaging tale. (Aug.)
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Review

LEATHERNECK MAGAZINE
"Marine leaders and those who seek to lead will surely benefit from this book. The often blunt, direct style is refreshing and makes it an easy read. The pearls of wisdom are there as is the dramatic battle leadership examples."

POST AND COURIER    
"Noble Warrior is two parts U.S. military history, with exciting first-hand accounts of critical battles, and one part opinion narrative regarding the state of affairs in America today, chiefly military and political affairs."
 

MIDWEST BOOK REVIEW   
"Noble Warrior documents the life and career of a major general who has seen historic battles and who analysis these events at the highest military level. Personal stories of battlefront experiences and his Medal of Honor actions makes for a powerful survey of a World War II vet who also helped plan and execute the evacuation of Saigon. Military collections will find this inspiring, vivid reading!"

BOWLING GREEN DAILY NEWS
"Maj. Gen. James Livingston is an authentic Marine hero...Reading the descriptions of fighting, I am reminded of a quote from Gen. J. Holland Smith about the battle on Iwo Jima, 'uncommon valor was a common virtue.' I think that quote could justly be applied to Livingston and his men at Dang Ha."
 

BOOKVIEWS BY ALAN CARUBA   
"When you consider that 80% of all Medals of Honor are awarded posthumously, his story is even more inspiring because, despite wounds received, his service in the Marines was far from over after that battle."

KEPLER’S MILITARY HISTORY BOOK REVIEWS    
"Noble Warrior is more than the story of Maj. Gen. James Livingston and how he earned the Medal of Honor. It is an excellent book on leadership that uses his story to convey the lessons."

 

MARINE CORPS GAZETTE    
"Written in a blunt and unyielding style that coauthors Heaton and Lewis wisely left unchanged, Noble Warrior: The Story of MajGen James E. Livingston, USMC(Ret), Medal of Honor is well worth reading."
 

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 272 pages
• Publisher: Zenith Press; First edition (August 15, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0760338078
• ISBN-13: 978-0760338070
• Product Dimensions: 8.6 x 5.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #394,696 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Medal of Honor in Vietnam - Marine for Life, August 20, 2010

By 

Andrew Lubin "author of Charlie Battery; A Ma... (Bucks County, Pa) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Noble Warrior: The Life and Times of Maj. Gen. James E. Livingston, USMC (Ret.), Medal of Honor (Hardcover)

So few Medals of Honor; yet so many are awarded for those quick and usually fatal decisions made in combat; so many citations are of those young Marines who threw themselves on a hand grenade or charged a pillbox. With some 70% of Medals of Honor awarded posthumously, it is rare to have the opportunity to learn about the action from the Marine himself.

"Noble Warrior; The story of MajGen James E. Livingston, USMC (ret), Medal of Honor" provides a unique window into the world of a Medal of Honor awardee who is both a survivor and an officer. An autobiography written with experienced military authors Colin Heaton and Ann-Marie Lewis, MajGen James Livingston's book gives the reader a look at the man behind the medal. From enlisting in the Marine Corps to fighting in Vietnam to his post-combat career, Noble Warrior is a well-written book that begins to shed light on the life of a most interesting Marine.

Not quite a depression baby; Livingston was born just months prior to the start of WW2 in rural Georgia. With his family economically better off than most, he relates how his parents were unique in ignoring the segregationist practices so prevalent at that time, and how those beliefs carried over to his Marine Corps years. "I always believed," he wrote, "in what Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. said...that a man `should be judged by the content of his character and not by the color of his skin.' This was never truer than on the field of battle, and it is one of the great hallmarks of our beloved Marine Corps"

This was a unique code of ethics for a Georgia boy during those turbulent times, and equally unique was his father's pushing him off the farm in order to obtain a college degree. Perhaps not so surprising was his joining the Marine Corps, in his eyes `the most aggressive outfit,' Soon Livingston received his commission as a 2nd Lieutenant, sent to Camp Pendleton, and deployed on a southeast Asian float. After a second cruise, Livingston threatened to resign if he was not given command, so he was shipped to Vietnam as commanding officer of Echo Company, 2nd Bn, 4th Marines. The die was cast.

Just weeks earlier, Echo had suffered 60% casualties and Livingston made certain that any casualties suffered in the future would not be due to slipshod training. A hard-charger even by Marine standards, Livingston explains his rationale for the never-ending and sometimes ruthless training programs for which he was known "I led by example," he wrote, "and was always shaved, had my gear in order, and was always in the front of a fight or PT run. You have to lead from the front...anyone can shout orders from the rear, but I would not want to follow such "leaders" into harm's way either." Sound policy as he led his Marines during the firefights so prevalent in pre-Tet Offensive's Quang Tri Province.

Most actions resulting in a Medal of Honor are short in duration; Noble Warrior recounts how Livingston earned his during the pitched battle at Dai Do. Written in an understated style that belies the intensity of the fight, Livingston narrates how an understrength battalion landing team found itself locked in a three-day battle against 7,000 experienced North Vietnamese regulars.

With Golf 2/4 finding unexpectedly heavy resistance when assaulting Dai Do, Livingston's Echo Co was ordered to assist. After their first two attacks stalled, he personally led the reserves in a charge that broke the enemy lines. Although wounded twice, Livingston directed his Marines in killing the remaining NVA fighting from their bunkers. Only 35 of more than 100 Marines remained combat-effective.

Yet the fight was far from finished. Hearing that Hotel 2/4 was pinned down by numerically superior NVA forces, Livingston moved the remainder of Echo to Hotel's position where he led the merged companies in yet another charge. After an hour of hand-to-hand fighting, the Marines owned the field...for the moment.

Later in the day, the reinforced NVA attacked in force, so Livingston ordered supporting fire and smoke in order to bring the Marines out in a phased withdrawl. Wounded for the third time, he was firing at the NVA when two Marines dragged him out.

Recovering from his wounds, Livingston returned to Vietnam, and under the command of Col Al Gray (later Gen, CMC), was involved in the desperate evacuation of Americans and Vietnamese as Saigon fell in 1975.

Retiring from the Marine Corps in 1995, Noble Warrior further describes how Livingston went on to a successful public service career. Written in a blunt and unyielding style that co-authors Heaton and Lewis wisely left unchanged, "Noble Warrior; The story of MajGen James E. Livingston, USMC (ret), Medal of Honor" is well worth reading.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The incredible story of one of America's heroes of the Vietnam War, August 18, 2010

By 

J. Rudy "Major, USAF" (Fairfax, VA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Noble Warrior: The Life and Times of Maj. Gen. James E. Livingston, USMC (Ret.), Medal of Honor (Hardcover)

There is a very select group of men (and 2 women) who have earned America's highest medal for bravery. There are even fewer who are alive to tell their story - most eschew the limelight. "Noble Warrior: the Story of Maj Gen James Livingston" is the story of how then-Captain Livingston earned the Medal of Honor.

In 1968, the North Vietnamese Army kicked off the Tet Offensive. The North Vietnamese (NVA) 320 Infantry Division attacked east towards the South China Sea in the hopes of securing a victory against the US Marines. Even with a loss, the video images of a North Vietnamese flag temporarily flying over the largest American base in Vietnam could burn lasting images in the hearts and minds of Americans everywhere. By eroding the support back home, the North Vietnamese could expedite the departure of the American combat forces and hasten the spread of communism in Vietnam. It was an excellent strategy, but it failed to account for the tenacity of the US Marines who had plans of their own.

In April 1968, elements of the 2nd Battalion of the 4th Marine Regiment, or 2/4, executed a battalion attack, they contacted NVA forces. What transpired over the next few days would decimate the NVA 320 Infantry Division to the point where they would be unable to be used in combat for 5 years. It also cost the lives of many Marines. As you read the narrative, there were many acts of individual bravery - but the reader will learn about the two men who earned the Medal of Honor during the Battle of Dai Do.

Maj Gen Livingston finishes the book with personnel reflections on his service after the 1968 battle. He was one of the last Marines out in Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Saigon in 1975 and offers his unique perspectives. Recently, Livingston also advised on the recovery from the devastation of Hurricane Katrina. He doesn't withhold any punches where the responsibility lay for that debacle.

Maj Gen Livingston continued to serve America long after his recognition. I highly recommend this outstanding book.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring, vivid reading, November 14, 2010

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Noble Warrior: The Life and Times of Maj. Gen. James E. Livingston, USMC (Ret.), Medal of Honor (Hardcover)

NOBLE WARRIOR: THE STORY OF MAJ. GEN. JAMES E. LIVINGSTON, USMC (RET.), MEDAL OF HONOR documents the life and career of a major general who has seen historic battles and who analyses these events at the highest military level. Personal stories of battlefront experiences and his Medal of Honor actions makes fro a powerful survey of a World War II vet who also helped plan and execute the evacuation of Saigon. Military collections will find this inspiring, vivid reading!