Medal of Honor - General James E. Livingston - Vietnam War - Forgotten History

During the Tet Festival, which is traditionally regarded as a period of cessation of fire, North Vietnam's military commander, General Vo Nguyen Giap, chose January 31, 1968. for the initial coordination of offensive and sudden attacks, directed at 100 cities in the southern part of the country, which had solved the problem of exiting the dead end in Vietnam. In the northeastern province of Quang Tri, the marine infantry and southern Vietnamese forces The forces of the United States Army held several positions. The most important strategic location was the Donghae Bridge and the Klyut River. This was the headquarters of the 3rd Marine Division and the 9th Marine Regiment. A battalion parachute group from the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marine Regiment, had been assigned to this location. Facing small forces consisting of 642 marines and naval infantry troops, At that time, the unknown marine forces were facing the 10,000-strong 320th Division of the North Vietnamese Army. Hi, I'm Colin Hutton from the "Forgotten History" segment. And this is the "Living Legends" edition, and we will discuss the battles at Donghae and Daydo. The presentation will be given by the recipient of the Medal of Honor, then Captain James E. Livingston, retired major general. My name is James Everett Livingston. Yes, I am a retired U.S. Marine Corps major general. I served in the Marine Corps from 1961 to 1995. I had the opportunity to command all levels within the Marine Corps, and I had three commands in Vietnam. My first tour was there in 1963 and 1964, mostly near the coast of Vietnam. And operations around and within Vietnam were predominantly operations against insurgents. I returned there in 1967 and 1968 and became the company commander of E Company, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines. I joined this particular unit in Donghae around September 1967. And I served as the company commander of the EKO from September 1967 to May 1968, when I was wounded in battle. What we will discuss here in a moment is the battle at Donghia against the North Vietnamese. My third trip to Vietnam took place in 1974 and 1975, and I helped coordinate the evacuation of Saigon. I was helping, uh, coordinate the van's operation during the reverse, uh, The closure of the territory in Mu, and he was on his way to Cotang Island and allegedly bloodied Vietnam. And these were my assignments, three assignments to Vietnam. As for the battle we are currently working on or examining, it is the Battle of Donghak. And I am going to pose the questions that were asked of me regarding this particular battle. and give you answers, as far as I remember, going back many years ago, uh, not being fully connected to every aspect of the battle. But I'll give you my information, as I saw it and was a witness to it—uh, roughly throughout the day. When the EKO company and I, the company commander, took a significant part in this operation. The battle began around April 30, 1968. This incident was caused by a naval attack from the north Vietnamese forces on one of the U.S. Navy ships. who sailed out to the ocean with supplies and brought them back to Donghe What served as the logistical base for supplying all elements of the marine infantry and army units? the so-called northern core of the AAI, along route 9 and route 1. And from there, they transported supplies using trucks and helicopters. for redistributing these supplies among operational units. My unit was stationed near Donghe on April 30. And we provided security for the bridge on route 1, which crossed the Kwavit River. And I received a message stating that the battalion took part in several operations. They were under fire and attacked various enemy positions. When the battle intensified, it became clear that the size of the forces Which battalions did the second battalion participate in, alongside the fourth battalion of the marine infantry? was very significant. He obstructed the mouth of the second company of the fourth battalion of the marine infantry. One of the company commanders was wounded, and the boy named Jim Williams wounded him. And as the battle continued, the battalion commander conducted an assessment of her. He had no resources to care for the forces with which they entered battle. I was assigned to the 3rd Division of the Marine Corps as a guard. So he asked to have me returned to Seawey and the 4th Marines battalion for assistance in this particular operation. The village of Daido was ultimately associated with the battle at Donghali. It is located along Jones Creek. This is a stream flowing roughly north-south between the Kwavit River and the Ben-Hi-Hai River. Looking back, the battalion commander asked me to join them in this particular battle. Based on his assessment, they lacked the strength to deal with the threat they had encountered in battle. The 3rd Marine Division of the EE cut me off, forcing me back to the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines Regiment. What, according to Smith's words, means that they reassigned me back to the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines Regiment And I, EE, set off downstream along the Kavit River, moving, EE, from west to east toward the ocean along the Kavit, He contacted the headquarters of the 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines Regiment, and the battalion took part in a very serious battle. Four rifle companies from the battalion, as well as one additional company from the 1st Battalion, 3rd Marines, were involved. And this particular company had just been routed and apparently pulled back, and I helped reorganize them on the evening of May 1st. When I joined the battalion, many marines had already been killed, the company commander had been killed, so the assessment was such, The attack, which had slowed down. Rothi Golf was ordered to capture the village of Idaho, she slowed down and reached the edge of the village, and she was threatened. Other companies were positioned where they could not act at that moment, and once again, another company from the same battalion, The 3rd Marine Battalion was unavailable because they were simply not combat-ready. So we reorganized and joined the team, obtaining the best threat analysis we could devise regarding what might lie ahead. Reviewed all available support and weaponry, including aviation, combat helicopters, naval artillery, and all types of artillery. as well as the potential support other teams might provide us with, from the perspective of our mission, in the future. It turned out that that evening, after we regrouped all our forces, we had essentially regrouped them as much as possible. Under the threat that the battalion commander had summoned me around 3:00 a.m., two men, and told me that my task was – attack actually through the same position as the company from the 13th, attack the EE 500 meters from the open rice patties and seize the village of Daidov in coordination with the company clerk for golf, the Marine Corps Company D, which was commanded by Lieutenant Junior Grade Vargas, Vargas was also supposed to become the second recipient of the Medal of Honor for this particular battle. So I called the squad leaders. We have decided on our plan of action, and the plan was simple—we would position two companies forward, one company in reserve at the rear. The company headquarters will be located between two assault companies and either a reserve platoon or an assault platoon within the reserve platoon. So at 5:00 that morning, they began the assault on her. After I told the marines, lined up at what we call the front edge of the combat zone, They told the Marines to fix bayonets, and this was probably one of the last major bayonet charges of the Vietnam War. And we moved forward with all the support and equipment we could coordinate, as well as with a company of the GOF, located at the edge of the E.E. combat zone in the village of Daido. When we approached and got close to the enemy, it became very obvious that they were all in bunkers. They had a very small opening, and they allowed the marines to approach very closely. Then, most of the marines who were wounded sustained head injuries. And we lost a significant number of marines, and my two assault squads seem to have gotten stuck. And because of what I did at that moment, Marines, we Marines used the old classic Marine Corps tactic. When you occupy a fortified position or a cluster area, the first thing you need to do is This creates a penetration where you can bypass it from both sides, and you won't encounter the bunkers head-on. So I took the reserve battalion, where the headquarters of my company was located. We broke through the front lines. There were about a hundred bunkers there. And from this position, we managed to destroy those, the EE, one hundred bunkers, eliminating enemy forces, which was significant. And after the battle, I connected with the hotel, EE, golf course, sorry. And we began coordinating the defense of that region during the battle for the village of Daido. Unfortunately, the ECO suffered serious losses. I went there with about 180 soldiers to capture the village and link up with the golf-rot. It resonated very deeply. In fact, it was sad. I had about 180 marines, and the EE was left with about thirty-five to forty wounded. The rest of them were killed or wounded. But we completed our mission. We connected with the golf rotor and EE, and managed to make the first significant EE step toward capturing the EE village of Daido. Later that day, after we consolidated our forces, reorganized, redistributed ammunition, fed the troops, removed all metal hulls, and transported away all the bodies of the fallen. The battalion commander, General, later General Bill West, Secretary of the Fourth Marine Regiment, General Director, ordered this hotel company, One of the other companies, which had been severely battered and lost its company commander previously, continued the attack. As for the EE, the question they offered me can be summed up simply as the numerical superiority and positions of the enemy. As I've already said, their positions were in the bakeries. Their advantage was excellent. This was obviously a great strength. They had all of the E.E.'s weaponry. They had new troops. They had new equipment. Therefore, they were one of the dominant forces advancing from North Vietnam. And Doncha, looking back, was a crucial objective, because in Doncha, located at that supply base, was all the artillery, as well as the headquarters of the 3rd Marine Division. Thus, it became a strategic target—very much a strategic objective—because the northern Vietnamese were convinced that if they could capture this place, it might end the war. I mean that it was so important because it supplied all the provisions, artillery, and all command and control for that part of the theater of military operations at that specific location. Thus, this was a key objective, and the northern Vietnamese committed significant forces to seize this position, drawing on their experience at the beginning of the TET offensive, and this very area came to be known as the follow-up offensive after TET. Yes, all these local shelters were typical E-shaped bunkers, and they are difficult to destroy. Even when tanks drove over them, they couldn't destroy them. The terrain consisted of open rice paddies, making it a very difficult area for combat, as there was no adequate cover or concealment, and the only thing providing you with protection was a large We received fire support from shipborne artillery, aviation artillery, combat helicopters, and we had substantial support. The next phase of the operation was very important, and its significance lay in the fact that General Bill West and Lieutenant Colonel Bill West ordered this hotel to bypass my left flank and continue the attack against the village of Daido and the subsequent villages. Oh, they went around me on the left. Oh, they've advanced about 200 yards ahead of me. The northern Vietnamese were ready for them, and as soon as they entered the general area, they launched a counterattack against the hotel company, wounding the officer temporarily in command of the hotel company. The young lieutenant, Vike Taylor, took command, but it became perfectly clear to me that the remnants of Company 24's hotel garrison would soon be overrun. So, I'm just saying, damn it, it's me, I'm going there. Me, to try to help the hotel company survive this battle. So they all agree that all the marines from the "Ecoremin" team went with me, and we joined forces with the hotel company, and we continued our major advance against the northern Vietnamese and captured a couple of trenches. And EE, in this area, the threat level based on population density was so high that we had no idea how many people were there. And they just kept throwing wave after wave after wave of people. And I said that the marines, the EEs, and the sailors were excellent. They performed excellently in defending this area until the point when the exhaustion of the marines became so severe and ammunition ran critically low. It turned into a hand-to-hand fight. O Lord, bless the young marines. Yes, they stood by their principles, and I always took pride in each one of them who was there, in how they confronted the challenge, and in how they responded—each one of them a Marine to the very end. It was precisely during this particular phase of the operation that I crossed the trench line, and the Vietnamese soldier firing the aircraft cannon shot me in the leg with a .50-caliber machine gun. And I fell, and all the marines, the EEs, saw it, and the EEs reacted, because I was the senior guy, and I was the guy who had probably been pushing them to keep advancing the attack, and when I fell, everything seemed to start coming apart. So my advice to them was to leave this area and leave me behind, and I would cover their retreat. But bless them, you know, Marines take care of themselves, and probably they considered me in command at that moment. Then they took care of their own and several young Black Marines who had been wounded after we went through that dogfight, and they killed, I don't know how many... But I returned several years later to visit this area, and everything became very obvious to me. They fought to the death, just as we did. Yeah, I'd give them an A+. Those damn boys knew how to fight, but they'd never faced Marines the way we were ready. Yes, we were ready to fight, because we had worked together there for about 7 or 8 months. And as I told the Marines of Veko, we were ready for battle in the NFL. And, bless us, O God, we have trained. We had participated in many battles, so we were one of the most prepared marine battalions at that moment, ready to intervene in the fighting at this time. But in the end, when the battle ended, the North Vietnamese, a division of about ten thousand men, faced approximately eight hundred Marines, supported by this fire power. And they went home, leaving many bodies on the battlefield. There are figures from three to four thousand out of ten thousand who were killed or injured. Yes, Company EKO, as I've already said, the number of casualties has decreased from 180 to approximately thirty-five or forty, and that's where it ended, as far as I know—there are no figures in front of me. It was a hellish battle, and probably one of the last, if not the last, major battle in Vietnam. And if we had lost that battle and they had captured Dongha, the psychological impact on this country and on all forces involved in that battle, which lasted in May of 1968, He would have been someone with whom, I don't think the country could have dealt at that moment after Wai-si-ti, Saigon, and all the other things that had happened up to this particular battle. Let me just clarify one thing. I intended to be a marine corps captain and company commander, to carry out my duty and mission, and to bring the marines home. As for going there to receive an honorary medal or any award in Vietnam, it never even crossed my mind. But probably I was recognized for any contribution I made, and I was recommended to refer both myself and Jay Vargas, or perhaps some protege of mine, for the youth program, and although this matter had been proceeding through the administrative process for about 2.5 years. He had to go through all these checks at every level to ensure that all levels of command and government agreed with the recommendation. And although the General Commander, General of the Army, summoned me to his office and said, "You're going to Washington." You will be awarded an honorary medal. He is a wonderful person, a very inspired leader of letters. And I went there with my commander, a marine corps colonel, and we drove there, and we discussed the details of how to get the family there. And this was in 1970, when air travel was not as accessible as one might have expected, and the EE gathered the entire family, and after we were informed, we traveled to Washington. We were received by the marine corps, and there were still seven or eight other recipients at this particular ceremony. But it was a wonderful ceremony. The people took very good care of us. The wake lasted two or three days, and the family stayed for another two or three days. It was a wonderful experience for the family, both for my wife and my little daughter, as well as for my mother and father, my brother, and my sister-in-law. Those were truly wonderful memories. Nixon was very kind, very good, and very respectful, and did many thoughtful things for the family. Such wonderful memories. Yes, but above all, I keep recalling the meaning of the battle, the courage displayed, the speeches by young marines and sailors. So, whatever I may receive from this award, I wear it on behalf of young marines and sailors. Mainly, I didn't return home from the Echo's mouth for their sake. Their blood, their sweat, their dedication, their professionalism—all poured into this award. And I wear it for them, not for myself. Her experience did not define my life. I wanted to be a Marine every single day, but the experiences of doubt, which undoubtedly, Mr. President, would have placed me in positions I otherwise wouldn't have been in, or the war with the Medal of Honor, Mr. President, places me in positions I otherwise wouldn't have been in. But the Marine Corps, the key to the Marine Corps—I think all this experience has been that I really enjoyed being a Marine. I liked being associated with the marines. I liked commanding the marines. Yes, one of the elements of my life is receiving this honor medal, and I hope to wear it with dignity and pride in memory of those young marines who never came home. Thus, bless God the fourth secretary of the marine corps, whom kindly and affectionately called a wonderful rascal. And may God bless them for their love of their country and their willingness to go to the shooting range when I asked them to go around, and they never hesitated. The combat effectiveness of young Americans is impressive if they are properly trained, properly led, properly motivated, and properly equipped. And I think the "Echo" company is not because of me, but I think the "Echo" company, through all the non-commissioned officers and young officers, possesses all these qualities associated with it. So let God bless "Eho." Let God bless the marine corps. And I will tell you all that you remember, that the marines are truly simplified concepts. Once again, I'm Ollyn Highton, and we hope you enjoyed this segment on the forgotten history. If you would like to learn more about the battle at Daydo and Dongha, as well as the career and life of Major General James Livingston, a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his actions at Daydo, please purchase the book "The Noble Warrior." You can also visit our website www.hitonusbox.com and get more information about how to obtain it. If you enjoyed this fragment of forgotten history, please like, subscribe, and leave your comments. We welcome all comments and will respond as soon as possible. Thank you!