Joint Base Charleston, S.C.
Vol. 5, No. 8
Patriot Team Charleston – One Family, One Mission, One Fight!
Friday, February 28, 2014
U.S. Air Force drawing/photo by Senior Airman Tom Brading
Gen. Livingston: American hero, Medal of Honor recipient
By Senior Airman Tom Brading Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs
The Medal of Honor is the nation’s highest military decoration. For retired Maj. Gen. James E. Livingston, Charleston, S.C., resident and Medal of Honor recipient, it was never his award to wear. It’s about more than him. “I wear the Medal of Honor for the Marines that died that day (May 2, 1968),” said Livingston. “They represent the highest standard and sacrifice for their country, and it’s my honor to represent them.” The Medal of Honor is awarded to U.S. military servicemembers for personal acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty. It is presented by the President of the United States in the name of the Congress. The medal’s lineage dates back to the American Civil War. Since those early roots, often saturated in the blood of fallen servicemembers at the dawn of modern American history, the Medal of Honor has been awarded 3,468 times. Each citation tells a different story of courage and valor, and each story is another reminder of sacrifice written in the pages of American history. Seventy percent of all Medals of Honor are awarded posthumously, so the opportunity for those brave warriors to
share their story is often lost by the hands of fate on the battlefield. But Livingston lived to tell his tale. A native of McRae, Ga, Livingston left his father’s farm and attended The Military College of Georgia and was a member of the school’s renowned Corps of Cadets before transferring and finishing his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Auburn University. In June 1962, Livingston entered the U.S. Marine Corps as a second lieutenant. The Georgia boy was officially a proud officer in the Marines. As a young officer, Livingston wanted to not only lead his Marines, but wanted to lead them by example. “I led by example and was always shaved, had my gear in order, and was always in the front of a fight or PT [physical training] run,” Livingston, wrote in his autobiography “NOBLE WARRIOR: The Story of Maj. Gen. James E. Livingston, USMC (Ret.), Medal of Honor.” “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.” This lesson in leadership transcended dress and appearance, and carried onto the battle field. After completing his first assignment, deployed to Southeast Asia, out of Camp Pendleton, Livingston took on his second tour of Vietnam as
Commanding Officer, Company E, 2nd Battalion, 4th Marines. There was no turning back. “I pushed my Marines hard,” said Livingston. “I pushed them mentally. I pushed them physically. And, I pushed them to be ready to fight. I was hard on them because not only was I looking to complete the mission, but I was looking to bring those boys home. As their leader, they relied on me and I relied on them to be combat ready.” Going into the humid jungles of Vietnam, on his second deployment to Vietnam with Echo Company, Livingston knew the odds were stacked heavily against the Marines. Echo Company had a nearly 60 percent causality rate prior to Livingston and his men arriving. Livingston brought his high standards to the fight, led from the front and made sure any casualty of war didn’t come from lackadaisical leadership or careless training of his Marines. According to the Medal of Honor citation, on May 2, 1968, Echo Company launched an 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, (then) Capt. Livingston maneuvered his men to assault See Gen. Livingston, Page 10
Navy College Office named best of the year
Story and photo by Eric Sesit Joint Base Charleston Public Affairs
INSIDE
Karen Stanbery, Joint Base Charleston's Navy College Office director/test control officer, is credited with helping Charleston's NCO being named the Center for Personal and Professional Developement Navy College Office of the year (small category) for fiscal year 2013.
THROUGH THE LENS Combat Camera photos
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The Navy College Office on Joint Base Charleston Weapons Station, S.C., has been named the winner of the Center for Personal and Professional Development Navy College Office of the Year for fiscal year 2013 in the small category. Other winners are the Navy College Office Yokosuka, Japan (large category), and Navy College Office Everett, Wash. (medium category). Although the Weapons Station took top honors in the small category, the staff's performance was anything but small. "We provide service for all Sailors throughout North and South Carolina as well as Ft. Gordon, Ga.," said Karen Stanbery, JB Charleston's Navy College Office director/test control officer. Stanbery is the link between a servicemember looking to further his or her education and making that dream a reality. Part counselor, part advisor and full-time servicemember advocate, her goal is to ensure everyone who wears the uniform has the opportunity to take advantage of all the education benefits provided by the military. "Karen is a great example of someone who truly cares about her Sailors and Marines," said Ernest D'Antonio, Navy Voluntary Education Program director at CPPD headquarters,
MAINTAINERS LRS keeps the wheels rolling
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WEEKEND WEATHER UPDATE for Joint Base Charleston, SC
CROSSFIT Are you ready?
Virginia Beach, Va. "To decide the winners among our 33 offices, we looked at criteria from a variety of categories. Karen was outstanding in almost every category. She and her office were an obvious choice as demonstrated in her NCO's dedicated commitment to providing Sailors with a means to pursue their life-long educational and credentialing goals." A civil servant for 27 years, Stanbery makes Sailors her priority as she provides many different services through the NCO. For example, she is an advocate of Navy College Program for Afloat College Education. NCPACE provides educational opportunities to Sailors at eligible sea duty commands to meet the needs of deployable units. Courses are offered in both instructor-led and distance learning formats for commands that have certain deployable Unit Identification Codes. Stanbery also reaches out to other commands, speaking to Sailors about tuition assistance and their veteran's benefits, trains Education Service Officers, and provides one-on-one counseling. She also administers the Defense Language Proficiency Test and Defense Language Aptitude test for individuals wishing to become translators, and serves as a DANTES test control officer. During fiscal year 2013, Stanbery helped 1,673 servicemembers use $2,880,761 in tuition assistance dollars. That money funded 5,081 courses. See Navy College Office, Page 9
Morning Showers
Mostly Sunny
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Friday, February 28
(10% precip)
High 62º Low 44º
Saturday, March 1
(60% precip)
High 68º Low 48º
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BLACK 01/29/08
Partly Cloudy
Sunday, March 2
(0% precip)
High 76º Low 56º