David Livingston, a lone soldier from New York, made the ultimate sacrifice for the State of Israel in the War of Independence.
He didn’t live a long life. He died shortly before turning thirty years old, however, what he accomplished during his life is what many people wish they had during theirs. The secret to what David Guenther Livingston accomplished lies in the dream he had, the dream of defending the Jewish people in Israel.
Livingston, was born in Breslau Germany in 1919 and fled with his as the Nazis began rising to power. The family fled to United States and as the U.S. entered the war, Livingston, a new immigrant, entered the army, but his dream of Israel kept him awake, wondering when his time would come to defend Israel.
The dream came true when he volunteered to fight the British blockade of ships bringing Jews to Israel. On many occasions he and the rest of the crew were successful in avoiding the British blockades and allowing many refugees the opportunity to settle in Israel. There was an unsuccessful attempt as well, where Livingston found himself, along with the rest of the people on board, sent as prisoners to a detention camp in Cyprus. His dream, however kept him awake and waiting for the next time he would be able to defend the Jewish people in Israel.
It is often said that dreams eventually manifest themselves in reality, and this was the case with Livingston who in 1945, found himself in Israel fighting for the Palmach (the pre state precursor of the IDF) in their Yiftach brigade. He arrived as a driven soldier and remained one throughout his service. Unfortunately it culminated in his death while defending Kibbutz Mishmar HaEmek (Guardian of the Valley) against the Syrian army, during Israel’s independence war, while living his dream. Something many people rarely accomplish during their lifetime.
