Staff Sergeant Nino D. Livaudais was born April 30, 1979 in Olongapo, Phillippines. He later moved to his hometown, Syracuse, Utah. He volunteered in the Delayed Entry Program and entered the Army in February 1998.
He completed basic training and advanced individual training in the military operational specialty of Infantryman at Fort Benning, Georgia. Staff Sergeant Livaudais continued his military training at Fort Benning when he attended Airborne School and graduated in June, 1998. On July 31, 1998, he was assigned to the 3d Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment. He earned his Ranger Tab after graduating from the U.S. Army Ranger Course in 1999 at Fort Benning.
Staff Sergeant Livaudais was a Squad Leader with Company A, 3d Battalion. He died in combat after a civilian vehicle exploded at a Coalition checkpoint 18 km southwest of Hadithah Dam in Iraq.
His awards and decorations include a Good Conduct Medal, two National Defense Service Medals, three Armed Forces Expeditionary Medals, the Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon, the Army Service Ribbon, three Army Achievement Medals, the Bronze Star, the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Expert Infantryman Badge, the Parachutist Badge and the Ranger Tab. He was posthumously awarded the Bronze Star Medal for Valor and the Purple Heart. He was also awarded the German Parachutist Badge. From October 2001 until January 2002, Staff Sgt. Livaudais deployed to Afghanistan in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
He is survived by his wife, Jackie and two children, Destre and Carson, of Fort Mitchell, Alabama. He is also survived by his mother, Divina Livaudais of Utah.
As a Ranger, Staff Sergeant Livaudais distinguished himself as a member of the Army’s premier light-infantry unit, traveled to all corners of the world in support of the Global War on Terrorism, and fought valiantly to uphold the prestige, honor, and high “esprit de corps” of my Ranger Regiment.