thedrifter
01-29-06, 08:57 AM
New book does ‘Honor’ to Marines
January 29,2006
BY CHRIS MAZZOLINI
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Gary Livingston takes no credit for his new book, “Fallujah, With Honor.” He just wrote it.
“It’s about these guys and what they do,” he said
The book, which was released last week, is a detailed account of Camp Lejeune’s 1st Battalion, 8th Marines’ role in the assault on Fallujah in November 2004.
One of six battalions that attacked the insurgent-infested city, 1/8’s job was to penetrate the center of the city. Livingston — a North Topsail Beach resident who wrote a book about the 2003 battle of An Nasiriyah — found it a perfect opportunity to tell that dramatic story.
“(1/8 was) the only battalion from Camp Lejeune who attacked in Fallujah,” he said. “They took the most casualties and met the most enemies.
“What I wanted to do, since I’m at Lejeune, is concentrate on the Marines from Lejeune. It gave me the opportunity to concentrate on this one battalion.”
The 260-page book — published by Livingston’s own niche publishing company, Caisson Press — includes interviews with 67 Marines who fought in Fallujah and one Marine wife. Livingston said the interviews were conducted last summer aboard the base.
Livingston recalled one time when he finished an interview and asked a group of Marines who wanted to go next.
They just looked at him.
“I said to them, ‘I know you guys took it hard over there, but would you give up the time you spent there with your buddies when they died? If I could push a button that could take you out of that, would you want me to?’ They always said no. They were glad they were there, even though it was hell.
“One guy would open up, then another one. I’ve had Marines tell me, ‘I was just going to give you my name and rank and where I was. But I trust you.’ And they told me their stories.”
Stories like “the candy store,” when a platoon went beyond enemy lines in darkness to secure a position before the main body of their company would come forward. They set up shop in a candy store. By the next morning, they came under fire from multiple insurgents and had to fight their way out.
One of Livingston’s motivations in writing the book was to tell the stories like “the candy store” that haven’t been told before.
“Many of their stories would never be told,” he said. “Their wives will read the book and say, ‘I didn’t realize what my husband had done over there’ because they don’t like to share it. They don’t tell their wives, their girlfriends. They keep it bottled up.”
Livingston said his goal with Caisson Press is to publish at least one Marine Corps book each year. He also encourages Marines who kept diaries in Iraq to contact him if they want to turn their story into a book. Livingston did that with retired Gunny Sgt. Jason Doran, whose book “I Am My Brother’s Keeper: Journal of a Gunny in Iraq” was published last year.
Overall, the reactions of Marines to his books have been positive.
“They are just thankful that someone takes the time to honor what they’ve done,” he said. “It’s hard for me to get the military terminology perfect, but they’re just thankful someone’s doing it. It honors them.”
Livingston’s book isn’t the first about Fallujah. Retired Marine Bing West wrote a front-line account of the battle in his book, “No True Glory.” Livingston said he just wants to give a voice to the 1/8 Marines’ amazing stories.
“I’m not a great writer, but their stories were great,” he said. “These guys just tell some great tales. I’m just awed by them. These guys put their lives on the line so other people don’t have to do it.”
Livingston will be signing copies of his book Tuesday at the Marine Corps Association Book Store at Camp Lejeune from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. It can also be bough online at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com.
Contact staff writer Chris Mazzolini at cmazzolini@freedomenc.com or at 353-1171, Ext. 229.
Ellie
January 29,2006
BY CHRIS MAZZOLINI
DAILY NEWS STAFF
Gary Livingston takes no credit for his new book, “Fallujah, With Honor.” He just wrote it.
“It’s about these guys and what they do,” he said
The book, which was released last week, is a detailed account of Camp Lejeune’s 1st Battalion, 8th Marines’ role in the assault on Fallujah in November 2004.
One of six battalions that attacked the insurgent-infested city, 1/8’s job was to penetrate the center of the city. Livingston — a North Topsail Beach resident who wrote a book about the 2003 battle of An Nasiriyah — found it a perfect opportunity to tell that dramatic story.
“(1/8 was) the only battalion from Camp Lejeune who attacked in Fallujah,” he said. “They took the most casualties and met the most enemies.
“What I wanted to do, since I’m at Lejeune, is concentrate on the Marines from Lejeune. It gave me the opportunity to concentrate on this one battalion.”
The 260-page book — published by Livingston’s own niche publishing company, Caisson Press — includes interviews with 67 Marines who fought in Fallujah and one Marine wife. Livingston said the interviews were conducted last summer aboard the base.
Livingston recalled one time when he finished an interview and asked a group of Marines who wanted to go next.
They just looked at him.
“I said to them, ‘I know you guys took it hard over there, but would you give up the time you spent there with your buddies when they died? If I could push a button that could take you out of that, would you want me to?’ They always said no. They were glad they were there, even though it was hell.
“One guy would open up, then another one. I’ve had Marines tell me, ‘I was just going to give you my name and rank and where I was. But I trust you.’ And they told me their stories.”
Stories like “the candy store,” when a platoon went beyond enemy lines in darkness to secure a position before the main body of their company would come forward. They set up shop in a candy store. By the next morning, they came under fire from multiple insurgents and had to fight their way out.
One of Livingston’s motivations in writing the book was to tell the stories like “the candy store” that haven’t been told before.
“Many of their stories would never be told,” he said. “Their wives will read the book and say, ‘I didn’t realize what my husband had done over there’ because they don’t like to share it. They don’t tell their wives, their girlfriends. They keep it bottled up.”
Livingston said his goal with Caisson Press is to publish at least one Marine Corps book each year. He also encourages Marines who kept diaries in Iraq to contact him if they want to turn their story into a book. Livingston did that with retired Gunny Sgt. Jason Doran, whose book “I Am My Brother’s Keeper: Journal of a Gunny in Iraq” was published last year.
Overall, the reactions of Marines to his books have been positive.
“They are just thankful that someone takes the time to honor what they’ve done,” he said. “It’s hard for me to get the military terminology perfect, but they’re just thankful someone’s doing it. It honors them.”
Livingston’s book isn’t the first about Fallujah. Retired Marine Bing West wrote a front-line account of the battle in his book, “No True Glory.” Livingston said he just wants to give a voice to the 1/8 Marines’ amazing stories.
“I’m not a great writer, but their stories were great,” he said. “These guys just tell some great tales. I’m just awed by them. These guys put their lives on the line so other people don’t have to do it.”
Livingston will be signing copies of his book Tuesday at the Marine Corps Association Book Store at Camp Lejeune from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Copies of the book will be available for purchase. It can also be bough online at amazon.com or barnesandnoble.com.
Contact staff writer Chris Mazzolini at cmazzolini@freedomenc.com or at 353-1171, Ext. 229.
Ellie