On May 2, 1968, during the savage fighting for the village of Dai Do in Vietnam, Captain James Livingston, commanding Company E, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines, displayed unshakable courage and leadership under fire.

With a Marine company cut off by enemy forces overnight, Captain Livingston led a daring assault across 500 meters of open rice paddy under relentless fire to reach and retake the village. Personally leading the charge, he pressed forward through enemy defenses, rallying his Marines, directing fire, and refusing to yield even after being wounded twice by grenade blasts.

Under his command, his Marines destroyed more than 100 enemy bunkers and broke the stranglehold on the trapped Marines. But the battle wasn’t over. When a neighboring company came under heavy counterattack, Captain Livingston gathered his depleted forces and again led them forward through a storm of bullets to reinforce their brothers in arms and halt the enemy advance.

Even after a third wound left him unable to walk, Captain Livingston remained in the fight, directing his men, organizing defenses, and overseeing evacuations. He refused to be evacuated until every one of his Marines was safe.

For his extraordinary heroism and selfless leadership, Captain James Livingston was awarded the Medal of Honor.

Medal of Honor Citation:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty while serving as Commanding Officer, Company E, in action against enemy forces. Company E launched a determined assault on the heavily fortified village of Dai Do, which had been seized by the enemy on the preceding evening isolating a marine company from the remainder of the battalion. Skillfully employing screening agents, Capt. Livingston maneuvered his men to assault positions across 500 meters of dangerous open rice paddy while under intense enemy fire. Ignoring hostile rounds impacting near him, he fearlessly led his men in a savage assault against enemy emplacements within the village. While adjusting supporting arms fire, Capt. Livingston moved to the points of heaviest resistance, shouting words of encouragement to his marines, directing their fire, and spurring the dwindling momentum of the attack on repeated occasions. Although twice painfully wounded by grenade fragments, he refused medical treatment and courageously led his men in the destruction of over 100 mutually supporting bunkers, driving the remaining enemy from their positions and relieving the pressure on the stranded marine company. As the two companies consolidated positions and evacuated casualties, a third company passed through the friendly lines launching an assault on the adjacent village of Dinh To, only to be halted by a furious counterattack of an enemy battalion. Swiftly assessing the situation and disregarding the heavy volume of enemy fire, Capt. Livingston boldly maneuvered the remaining effective men of his company forward, joined forces with the heavily engaged marines, and halted the enemy's counterattack. Wounded a third time and unable to walk, he steadfastly remained in the dangerously exposed area, deploying his men to more tenable positions and supervising the evacuation of casualties. Only when assured of the safety of his men did he allow himself to be evacuated. Capt. Livingston's gallant actions uphold the highest traditions of the Marine Corps and the U.S. Naval Service.

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Photos Courtesy Wikimedia Commons

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