Marine hero looks to 'moms and dads' for military boost

Nov. 11—The Reserve Club played host to dozens of veterans, business leaders and others Friday, with one of South Carolina's most prominent military figures making a Veterans Day appeal for his listeners to lend their support to military recruitment.

Mount Pleasant resident James Livingston, whose 33-year career in the Marine Corps included a Medal of Honor for heroics in Vietnam, was the featured speaker at a midday gathering in support of Our Community Salutes, a national, non-profit organization "helping communities honor and support high school seniors enlisting in the U.S. Armed Services after graduation," as described on the OCS website.

The retired major general, speaking largely without notes to an audience of 165, focused on "the recruiting issue" — a major concern in recent years, with the military relying entirely on volunteers since January 1973, when the military draft ended.

Parents, he said, are a huge factor in preserving the military as a viable institution. "If you don't have moms and dads who are willing to gift their sons and daughters — and I say gift their sons and daughters — to the military, and let them serve in our military to protect this great country, we're in trouble."

Current data are "a little bit frightening," he said. "Politically, it's been a real pushback against some of our efforts, and I want to really applaud the recruiters. You ladies and gents who are involved in recruiting have one of the toughest jobs that I can imagine in the military."

He cited a 2022 Pentagon study showing that 77% of young Americans would not qualify for military service without a waiver due to using drugs, being overweight or having mental and physical health problems.

"We are all today going to sign up to be recruiters, including myself, and get involved with these young men and young ladies and help them out," he said, acknowledging challenges including the 2021 U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan.

He urged his listeners to consider gifts of encouragement or financial support to help address the current situation, "because it's national security," he said. "It's world security, so it's a big march. We can do it, and we can't let this one evacuation operation distill our feelings for the military and what they're trying to do."

Livingston, a Georgia native who served from 1962 to 1995, noted that he speaks from experience, having been the operations officer for the evacuation of Saigon, with U.S. troops and many of their supporters leaving the capital city as it was overrun by North Vietnamese forces.

Addressing much more recent memories from the home front, Livingston said he was particularly impressed, in driving through Aiken, to see Hometown Heroes banners on display, with the names and service information of dozens of Aiken residents who served in the military.

"I was telling my wife and our driver, I said, 'I really want to go back to Mount Pleasant and suggest that they do this.' You talk about something that exemplifies patriotism and support and love for their veterans. That really impressed me more than anything I've witnessed in a long time ... so thank you, Aiken ... for recognizing your vets and thank you for being so patriotic."

Livingston, in receiving the military's highest honor, was cited for "courage, gallant leadership and selfless devotion to duty at great personal risk." He and his wife, Sara, a former Swansea resident, were in Aiken for several events relating to Veterans Day this week.

OCS' goals, as described on the organization's website, include helping "communities provide guidance, resources and community support to high school guidance counselors, service recruiters, enlistees and to their parents as their son or daughter transition into military service."

Major sponsors of Friday's event included such names as Wiland-Foley Wealth Advisory Group, Woodside-Aiken Realty and First Trust. Supporting the opening and closing ceremonies were cadets from Silver Bluff High School's Naval Junior ROTC unit. Aiken's OCS event for 2023 is planned for May 17 at the USC Aiken Convocation Center, and the featured speaker is to be Ryan Pitts, an Army retiree who received the Medal of Honor for service in Afghanistan.