Drew Dennis Dix
| Drew Dennis Dix | |
|---|---|
Dix in 2010
|
|
| Born |
December 14, 1944 West Point, New York |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Army |
| Years of service | 1962 – 1982 |
| Rank | Major |
| Unit |
82nd Airborne Division 5th Special Forces Group 172nd Infantry Brigade |
| Battles/wars |
Operation Power Pack Vietnam War |
| Awards |
Medal of Honor Purple Heart Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry |
Drew Dennis Dix (born December 14, 1944) is a decorated United States military veteran and retired major in the United States Army. He received the Medal of Honor for his actions in the Vietnam War; he was the first enlisted Special Forces soldier to receive the medal.
Dix was born in West Point, New York, and raised in Pueblo, Colorado. He enlisted in the Army at age 18 in 1962, hoping to join the Special Forces. Initially turned down because of his young age, he spent three years serving with the 82nd Airborne Division before being accepted into the Special Forces at the age of 21. During this time he served in Operation Power Pack, the US military intervention in the Dominican Republic.
By 1968 he had reached the rank of Staff Sergeant and was assigned as a military adviser to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN) in Chau Phu, South Vietnam, near the Cambodian border. On January 31, 1968, Viet Cong forces attacked Chau Phu in the first days of the Tet Offensive. Throughout that day and the next, Dix led groups of local fighters in rescuing endangered civilians and driving Viet Cong forces out of buildings in the city.
For these actions, Dix was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Lyndon B. Johnson during a ceremony at the White House on January 19, 1969. He is one of four Medal of Honor recipients from Pueblo, Colorado, the others being William J. Crawford, Raymond G. Murphy, and Carl L. Sitter.
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Wikipedia