William G. Livesay, Major General
91st Division

William G. Livesay was born in Benton, Illinois on March 2, 1896.  He enlisted in the regular Army as a private on May 3, 1915 and was promoted to corporal and later sergeant.  He received his commission as a 2nd lieutenant of Infantry on November 26, 1916.

His first assignment as a commissioned officer was with the 30th Infantry at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.  He served in the Mexican Border Crisis with that unit from April through May 3rd, 1917.  In June 1917, he joined the 28th Infantry and went to France.  He was promoted to captain on June 27, 1917.  In January 1918 he became regimental adjutant and in November 1918 he became brigade adjutant, 2nd Infantry Brigade.  He was temporarily promoted to major on November 13, 1918.

His WWI service includes Montdidier-Noyon, June 9 - 13, 1918; Aisne-Marne, July 18 - August 6, 1918; St. Mihiel, September 12 - 16, 1918 and Meuse - Argonne, September 26 -- November 11, 1918.  His WWI decorations include the Silver Star with two Oak Leaf Clusters and the French Croix de Guerre.

After returning to the United States, he attended the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth and later served as an instructor at the Infantry School at Fort Benning.  In July 1930 he was transferred to Vancouver Barracks, Washington with the 7th Infantry.

On June 1, 1938, he was promoted to lieutenant colonel while serving as the director of the Office of Chief of Infantry in Washington, D.C.  On October 14, 1941, he was promoted to colonel while serving as the chief of staff to the Puerto Rican Department.

In March 1942, he was assigned to duty with the 35th Infantry Division at San Louis Obispo, California and was promoted to brigadier general on April 16, 1942.  In August of that same year, he was appointed to the post of commanding general of the Puerto Rican Mobil Force and promoted to major general on October 26, 1942.

In July 1943, he became the commanding general of the 91st Division at Camp White.  He would remain as the commander of the Division until it was deactivated on December 1, 1945.

While commanding the 91st, Major General Livesay instilled into his forces the aggressiveness, superb morale and the will to win which were greatly responsible for the division's outstanding success.  Against the Arno River Line and the subsequent II Corps breakthrough of the Gothic Line, General Livesay drove constantly forward through determined opposition until the situation was stabilized in the vicinity of Livergnano in November 1944.

His WWII campaigns included the Arno River, Gothic Line and Po River.