Lewis Nixon

Lewis Nixon

Lewis Nixon (born September 30, 1918 in New York , NY , † January 11, 1995 in Los Angeles , California ) was a captain in the US Army . He served in the 506th Paratrooper Regiment of the 101st Airborne Division during World War II . He was portrayed by Ron Livingston in the Band of Brothers series , which portrays the Easy Company of the Regiment's 2nd Battalion during World War II .

Life

youth

Nixon came from a wealthy family, which enabled him to travel the world from a young age and study at Yale University for two years . In January 1941 he decided to join the US Army.

Second World War

After graduating from Officer Candidate School in Fort Benning , Georgia , he volunteered as a second lieutenant , along with his friend Richard Winters , who he met there, to join the paratroopers . Both were transferred to E- Company ( Easy Company ) of 2nd Battalion , 506th US Paratrooper Regiment, 101st US Airborne Division.

Basic paratrooper training for both took place at Camp Toccoa , Georgia . While Winters served first as first officer and later as company commander of the Easy Company , Nixon was appointed first lieutenant and intelligence officer ( S-2 ) of the 2nd Battalion. Since he proved himself in this position , he was promoted to captain shortly after the Easy Company had taken Carentan on June 12, 1944 and posted to the regimental staff. Nixon served during the division's operations in Normandy , the Netherlands , Bastogne, and Germany. During this entire time, due to his staff deployment, he did not fire a single shot in combat. However, he was shot in the helmet in the Netherlands, which saved his life. During his service in Europe, however, he developed a drinking problem and was then assigned to the 2nd Battalion as Operations Officer (S-3). He was known for his predilection for the VAT 69 whiskey brand , which is mentioned on several occasions in Stephen Ambrose 's book Band of Brothers and the miniseries based on it.

Nixon was one of the few from the 101st Airborne Division who took part in jump missions with other divisions or regiments . On March 24, 1945, Nixon was assigned to the 17th Airborne Division as an observer to General Maxwell D. Taylor during Operation Varsity . The plane from which Nixon jumped was shot down shortly afterwards with a direct hit - only he and three other comrades survived.

In September 1945 he returned to the United States .

After the war

After the war, he worked in his father's family business, Nixon Nitration Works, in Nixon, New Jersey. Nixon's friend Richard Winters, whom he had offered a job at the end of the war, later became the company's HR manager. Nixon had two failed marriages before he married his third wife, Grace, in 1956. He died on January 11, 1995 of complications from diabetes in Los Angeles , California .

Awards

	Bronze Star with one Oak Leaf Cluster
	Purple heart
	World War II Victory Medal
	American Defense Service Medal
	American Campaign Medal
	European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal with 3 service stars and arrowhead device
	Army of Occupation Medal
	Presidential Unit Citation with one Oak Leaf Cluster
	Croix de guerre
	Belgian World War II Service Medal
	Combat Infantryman Badge
	Parachutist Badge with 3 combat jump stars

literature

• Stephen Ambrose : Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest . Simon & Schuster , 1992, ISBN 0-7434-6411-7 .