Lewis Nixon
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- This article is about the WW II U.S. Army officer in the 101st Airborne Division. For the naval architect and political activist, see Lewis Nixon (naval architect)
| Lewis Nixon | |
|---|---|
| 30 September 1918 - 11 January 1995 | |
| Nickname | Lew, Nix |
| Place of birth | New York City, New York |
| Years of service | 1941-1945 |
| Rank | Captain |
| Unit | Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 101st Airborne Division, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment |
| Awards | - World War II Victory Medal |
| Other work | Owner of Nixon Nitration Works by inheritance |
Lewis Nixon (September 30, 1918 - January 11, 1995) was a United States Army officer in the 101st Airborne, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 2nd Battalion, Easy Company. Lewis Nixon was portrayed by Ron Livingston in the HBO/BBC production Band of Brothers.
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[edit] Early life
Born to Stanhope Wood Nixon and Doris Ryer Nixon on September 30, 1918 in New York City. Older brother of Blanche Nixon (born 1923). Grandson of Lewis Nixon(1861-1940), shipbuilder and inventor of sonar, and Sally Wood Nixon (d. 1937). At age seven, he took third place in the model yacht regatta at Conservatory Lake in Central Park on May 22, 1926, earning a gold and bronze medal in the 35 inch boat class. As a youth, Nixon lived in New York City, New York and Montecito, California; he traveled the world extensively, including Germany, France, and England. Nixon attended Yale University for two years. He enlisted in the army in January 1941. After graduating from Army Officer Candidate School in 1941, Nixon made the decision to join the paratroops.
[edit] World War II
Nixon started out in the army as a private, and went through Officer Candidate School, emerging as a Second Lieutenant. He was then assigned to Easy Company of the 506th PIR. Nixon and Winters were put through basic training at Camp Toccoa, Georgia and eventually trained at many locations throughout the U.S. and England for the invasion of France.
Nixon was promoted to intelligence officer (S-2) at the battalion level, and showed enough skill at his job to be promoted to regimental level shortly after Easy Company took Carentan on 12 June 1944. He served in Normandy, the Netherlands, Bastogne, and Germany, though he never fired a shot. He did, however, manage to get shot in the helmet in Holland but it bounced off, saving his life. He developed a drinking problem, and was eventually demoted back down to battalion operations officer. In Berchtesgaden, he had first choice of an extensive wine collection at Hermann Goering's expense.
Nixon was one of the few 101st Airborne men to have jumped with another division or regiment. On 24 March 1945, Nixon was assigned by General Maxwell Taylor as an observer with the 17th Airborne Division on Operation Varsity. Nixon's plane took a direct hit as soon as he and three others got out of the plane.
He survived the war, ending it with the rank of Captain. He saw the defeat of Germany, and returned home in September 1945.
He is known and remembered for his love of the blended whiskey VAT 69. This is commemorated several times in the book and miniseries Band of Brothers by Steven Ambrose.
[edit] After the war
After the war, Nixon worked at Nixon Nitration Works in Nixon, New Jersey alongside his father, Stanhope. Wartime pal Richard Winters, who was offered a job by Nixon after the war, eventually became a personnel manager at Nixon Nitration Works. Nixon had two failed marriages before marrying his last wife, Grace, in 1956. He got his life back together and overcame his alcoholism during this second marriage. Lewis Nixon died of complications from diabetes in Los Angeles, California on January 11, 1995.
Nixon, New Jersey is now a section of Edison Township; it is located in Middlesex County, NJ. The former site of the Nixon Nitration Works lies beneath Middlesex County College and Raritan Center Industrial Park.
[edit] References
- Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest, Stephen Ambrose, Simon & Schuster, 1992. ISBN 0-7434-6411-7
- Band of Brothers miniseries
- The New York Times, May 23, 1926, pg.16
