Captain Lewis Nixon is a heroic soldier who devoted his life during World War II. Lewis Nixon III fought with the 101st Airborne Division in Easy Company with Major Dick Winters, and they won historic clashes, making them heroes.
Lewis and Dick Winters formed a strong bond, and they remained friends even after they completed serving. Even at the death of Nixon, Winters delivered the eulogy, showing how they remained friends despite having different personalities.
The Early Life of Lewis Nixon III
Lewis Nixon was the firstborn in a family of three children. He was born on September 30, 1918, in New York City, where he grew up with his sister. His younger brother Fletcher Ryer died in 1922 as an infant, and Lewis remained with his sister Blanche.
Lewis’s parents, Stanhope Wood Nixon and Doris Ryer raised him and his sister, and they ensured they lived their best lives. Lewis was privileged, and he lived a wealthy life, travelling around the world and experiencing different cultures.
Nixon’s grandfather was a shipbuilder and the first to have the name Nixon. Like his grandfather, Lewis Nixon III loved water, and it was clear when he competed in a model yacht regatta in Conservatory Lake in Central Park on May 22, 1926.
Nixon spent his life in Manhattan and Montecito, California. Moreover, he used to travel a lot with his sister and ensured he interacted with the cultures of Germany, England and France before the war started.
Nixon III was a bright boy, and he completed Cate School in Santa Barbar. After that, he joined Yale University and started his studies. After learning for two years, he married and enrolled on the U.S. Army in Trenton.
Lewis Nixon III’s Years in War
Lewis Nixon enrolled in the U.S. Army at the beginning of 1941, and before the year was over, he underwent basic training at Camp Croft in South Carolina. Lewis’s friend Dick Winters underwent the same training, but they met in Army Officer Cadet School at Fort Benning in Georgia.
Before Winters and Nixon parted ways, they had become Second Lieutenant temporarily. Nixon went to Fort Ord, California, where he served in a Military Police unit. But later, Winters and Nixon met after Nixon volunteered to join Paratroopers. They were assigned Easy Company and met Herbert Sobel, the first Lieutenant.
Sobel was very strict, and it led to his demotion, and Winters was made the first Lieutenant. They were among the first U.S. officers to receive airborne training, and Nixon was made the second Lieutenant.
Nixon and Winters collaborated so well, and they achieved a lot during the Nazi era. The services of Nixon and Winters were recognized and helped in avoiding the loss of many lives during the Normandy invasion.
Winters and Nixon were later promoted to Captains, but Nixon was demoted later because of his uncontrolled alcoholism.
Was Lewis Nixon III Married?
Lewis Nixon was married three times, but he finally found love and peace when he married Grace, his third wife. Grace helped Nixon to control alcoholism and finally stopped drinking. Nixon and Grace spent their life together, travelling the world, until Nixon died in January 1995.