I Will Hold: The Story of USMC Legend Clifton B. Cates, from Belleau Wood to Victory in the Great War

by James Carl Nelson

The incredible true story of Clifton B. “Lucky” Cates, whose service in World War I and beyond made him a legend in the annals of the Marine Corps.

Cates knew that he and his small band of marines were in a desperate spot. Before handing the note over to a runner, he added three words that would resound through Marine Corps   I WILL HOLD.

From the moment he first joined the Marine Reserves of the American Expeditionary Force in World War I, Clifton B. Cates was determined to make his mark as a leader. Little did he know what he would truly accomplish in his legendary career.

Not as well-known as his contemporaries such as Alvin C. York, his fame would not come from a single act of heroism but from his consistent and courageous demeanor throughout the war and beyond.

In the bloody second half of 1918 with the 6th Marine Regiment, he was awarded the Navy Cross, the Distinguished Service Cross, the Purple Heart, and the Silver Star; was recognized by the French government with the Legion of Honor and the Croix de Guerre; and earned the nickname “Lucky.”

I Will Hold is the inspiring, brutally vivid, and incredible true life story of a Marine Corps legend whose grit and unstoppable spirit on the battlefield matched his personal drive and sage wisdom off of it.

​Winner of the Marine Corps Heritage Foundation 2017 Colonel Joseph Alexander Award for Biography

INCLUDES PHOTOS

Genres: History, Military Fiction, Biography, Nonfiction, War, World War I, Military History

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2016

Reviews

[Jean · Rating 4 out of 5]

Author James Nelson has written a detailed and gripping account of Lieutenant Clifton B. Cates, who later became the 19th Commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps. The book is titled “I Will Hold: The Story of USMC Legend Clifton B. Cates, from Belleau Wood to Victory in the Great War”.

Nelson has woven personal accounts and historical context into a narrative that will transport the reader from the training fields of Quantico to the battlefields of France. The book almost reads like a memoir. He paints a picture of “Lucky” Cates “going over the top” against the German machine guns. The author states that Cates was tested as a leader on 6 June 1918 in Belleau Woods. This day is the single worst day in Marine Corps history. Thirty-one officers and 1,056 men were killed. Cates took over temporary command of the 96th Company when its commander was killed and its ranks decimated.

The book is well written and meticulously researched. It is, in my opinion, an accurate portrayal of infantry combat in WWI. Nelson’s style of writing is almost novel like and makes for an easy read. The book covers some of the Marine Corp history during WWI. This book is part of my reading about WWI during its 100th Anniversary. This is a great book for those interested in WWI history and the role of the U.S. Marine Corps during the Great War. The book is 340 pages.

[Sleepy Boy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Part biography, part unit history almost, the first hand accounts are the true meat/value here. I feel like the author tried to mix a few too many ingredients into the type of book he wanted to write. It just didn’t quite gel together properly for me.

[Mark Mortensen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Clifton B. Cates certainly was a hero in WWI and became a Marine Corps legend however aside from the core subject I disagree with some of the authors’ historical perspectives.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

While the subtitle states that the role of Marine Clifton B. Cates in World War I, the book spends little time on him. Much time is spent on the overall role of the Marines serving in Europe highlighting many Marine. As a retired Marine myself, I feel that this biography of a former Commandant of the Marine Corps could have been better.

[Relstuart · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cates was there in the Marines for a great deal of WWI. His fame comes from a message he sent as the leading young officer from the front during an advance, his men had advanced on their objective, taken significant losses and were standing nearly alone against enemy with little support. He requested artillery support and ended his request with - "I will hold."

This is a great story and it tells the surrounding history of the Marines in WWI and what is going on during the fighting, more info than Cates would have gotten.

[Chowhound88 (a.k.a. Ralph) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed everything about the book except that it pissed me off right from the first page. I debated if I really wanted to finish it. To me, Marine is a title and all titles are CAPITALIZE. When I see that it is not capitalize it is like fingernails on the chalkboard. I realize that it is my opinion but that is how I feel. I am glad that it was a library book.

[Matthew Dudley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story that deserves a better storyteller.

[Jonathon M · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is well written and has an interesting story-line. My main issue that keeps it from being a 5-star is that Nelson does not take any time to explore any mistakes Cates may have made. It's a golden child treatment from the beginning to the end. However, it is still worth reading for understanding how the Marine Corps formed at fought in WWI.

[Joseph Chipley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing book about the beginning of the modern marine. Great insight into early military doctrine and the day to day life in the trenches

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is mostly the story of a young US Marine officer in the last months of World War 1. Before reading this book I had never heard of Clifton Cates, but he was a heroic (and lucky) warrior. In battle after battle he lead his men into machine gun fire and through their fighting spirit they came out victorious. Cates was awarded several medals and went to to serve s the Commandant of the USMC.
This book was interesting to my because my grandfather was fighting in France at the same time. Reading this book also gave me a deeper appreciation of how special the US Marines really are due to their unity, discipline, marksmanship and fighting spirit.

[Erik · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author did an admirable job of trying to tell the story of one person in the Great War, particularly a person who did not garner much attention at the time (if ever). This Marine's biggest accomplishment was surviving the few months of hell and for messaging "I will hold" a position during one battle. To be sure, he did much more as the story attests. But my biggest gripe is there isn't much original material to create an in-depth character sketch of the individual. The author tries to pull it out but the result lacks punch and over-relies on ascribing "lucky" to his persona. And since the book also needs to provide broader context about his role in the war, there isn't enough for it to be that informative (save for the usual, mind-numbing listing of numbered regiments and battalions that did this and that) because it's a book about one individual. Other than that, I did get immersed into his saga and enjoyed learning more about the personalized experience of the Great War. There were various bits of insight into various elements of the US, the war, the Marines that made this worthwhile. Overall, I would have enjoyed this more if the narrative and characterizations were more gripping. Or if the book was lengthier in order to include more context and nuance. But I applaud the effort to highlight the contributions of someone less well-known, although just as deserving for having held on to trenches, towns, trees, and of course, his sanity and life.

[Jeffrey Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would love to give this a five-star review, but I can't. Cliff Cates is certainly worthy of having a biographer, especially where his WWI service is concerned, but this was an average read.

Lucky Cliff Cates. You don't know how lucky you are to not be able to read this book written about you.

It's not that it's a horrible book. It's an average book that could have been so much better. Instead of a biography where we see an objective view of the subject, we get one-sided hero worship. We get very little Independent analysis of Cates decisions (good and bad). We also have difficulty determining a sense of place. Names are meaningless without having a map to reference or more explicit instructions from a well known landmark. Mont Blanc could have been in Germany or Switzerland for all I knew. The sense of place became empty words which then become meaningless. This does a huge disservice to the career of Cliff Cates. Lucky lucky Cliff Cates.

This was an average book written about an exceptional subject. Could have been better.

[Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Focusing on General Clifton Cates' time as platoon and company commander in the First World War leading men of the 96th Company, this work dives into what not only Cates' thoughts and experiences, but those of other Marines fighting with him. With all the death and despair going on around him, Cates manages to continue to lead his Marines into some of the most renowned battles of the war, coming out almost completely unscathed. Lucky Cliff Cates.

[Chuck · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting book about Commandant Cates and his actions in World War I. He is the only Marine to command in combat a Platoon, Company Battalion Regiment and Division.

Overall I found the book a bit hard to follow in both it's writing style and it's narrative. It would have benefited from a couple maps so the reader could more easily visualize the terrain.

[Totorodad · Rating 5 out of 5]

James Nelson is a great writer. This book is a good review of Clifton B. Cates service in WW I. I had no idea that Mustard Gas was also used at Belleau Wood. The hell that our Marines endured was beyond what any person should be asked to do. It's because of hero's like Cates that we persevered.

[Kevin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great read about Marine Corps history in WWI and the Marine Legend, “Lucky” Cliff Cates.

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderful story about our Marines in WW I and specifically a legend in General Cates. Well worth the read to learn from history.

[Matt · Rating 2 out of 5]

Somehow this author and audible narration combo made this story as captivating as a macroeconomics textbook.

[William DuFour · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great book on Cates and his exploits during World War One and a little bit on WWII as well.

[This is V! · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great book about a story that should be told everywhere instead its still quite unknown. Salute to these brave marines during world war one

[Ted · Rating 5 out of 5]

Should be required reading for every present and former jarhead says this former HM2.

[Ted Mccormack · Rating 3 out of 5]

A better map would have helped me understand the action described in the book.

[David Barnes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty amazing story of leadership and valor

[Benjamin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Great research but the writing and editing left something to be desired.

[Mike]

Great book but a slow read. If you are a history buff especially the USMC this book is a must.

[Jason Karb · Rating 4 out of 5]

For my Marine brothers and sisters, or those interested in military history, I just finished up a great book about a true Marine Corps legend!

The book is called, "I Will Hold" by James Carl Nelson. It's really a war memoir and biography of a man who joined the Corps, served as a second Lieutenant in WWI (Belleau Wood, Mt Blanc, etc) the went on to fight in WWII (Guadalcanal, Iwo Jima, etc) only to be named as Marine Corps Commandant and fight again in Korea!

The book gets it's name from the phrase young Lt Cates used while defending the scarred patch of earth they had taken at Belleau Wood. With huge losses and few men left...he sent a dispatch that they were digging in a "I Will Hold." Btw...for Marines...these engagements helped to embolden the Warriors Ethos of the Marine Corps...so it's a bit of history well worth the read!

Teufel Hunden!! Hard Corps Marine Corps!! Enjoy!!

[Megan Joice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lucky Cates embodies the marines. Tough, courageous and willing to do whatever it takes to achieve victory.

I enjoyed reading this book. It is well researched and full of multiple colorful first-hand accounts from the Marines who served so bravely. Upon finishing the book, I felt I had a really good sense of the pride one feels in being a marine and just how insane it would have been on those WW1 battlefields. The one thing I will say is that I was expecting it to be more from the perspective of Clifton Cates and that I felt at times his story got lost. So if you are expecting this book to mainly be about Cates, you will be disappointed.

[Don Ekback]

It can get long in it's detailed description of every battle the man fought in, but it is an inspiring tail of a true-life hero.