Remembering Their Valor, Fidelity, and Sacrifice: The 82nd Anniversary of the Allied Landing in Normandy

The 82nd anniversary of the Allied landing at Normandy and the 25th anniversary of the National D-Day Memorial will be marked with a special ceremony. Drew Dix, Medal of Honor Recipient Keynote Speaker Drew Dix joined the U.S. Army in 1962 in Pueblo, Colorado at the age of seventeen. He was assigned to the 82d Airborne Division where he was deployed to the Dominican Republic for his first combat tour. He remained with the 82d until he met the age requirements for the U.S. Army Special Forces. Following graduation from the operations & intelligence course, Dix attended Spanish language and High-Altitude parachute training courses before being deployed to the Republic of Vietnam, where he was assigned to a highly classified project with the mission of eliminating enemy infrastructure. Assigned as a lone American, he led multiethnic mercenaries on missions throughout the region. After receiving a direct commission, Dix was assigned back to Vietnam as a Company Commander of A co, 2/502,101st Airborne Division. In addition to the 82d, and the 101st, Drew was assigned to the 5th & 6th Special Forces Groups, aide to the CG of the JFK Special Warfare Center, and aide to the CG XVIII Airborne Corps. As a Special Forces Sergeant, during his first tour Dix became the first enlisted man in the U.S. Army Special Forces to receive the Medal of Honor. Citation SSgt Drew Dix receives Medal of Honor from President Lyndon B. Johnson, 1969 For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. S/Sgt. Dix distinguished himself by exceptional heroism while serving as a unit adviser. Two heavily armed Viet Cong battalions attacked the Province capital city of Chau Phu resulting in the complete breakdown and fragmentation of the defenses of the city. S/Sgt. Dix, with a patrol of Vietnamese soldiers, was recalled to assist in the defense of Chau Phu. Learning that a nurse was trapped in a house near the center of the city, S/Sgt. Dix organized a relief force, successfully rescued the nurse, and returned her to the safety of the Tactical Operations Center. Being informed of other trapped civilians within the city, S/Sgt. Dix voluntarily led another force to rescue 8 civilian employees located in a building which was under heavy mortar and small-arms fire. S/Sgt. Dix then returned to the center of the city. Upon approaching a building, he was subjected to intense automatic rifle and machine gun fire from an unknown number of Viet Cong. He personally assaulted the building, killing 6 Viet Cong, and rescuing 2 Filipinos. The following day S/Sgt. Dix, still on his own volition, assembled a 20-man force and though under intense enemy fire cleared the Viet Cong out of the hotel, theater, and other adjacent buildings within the city. During this portion of the attack, Army Republic of Vietnam soldiers inspired by the heroism and success of S/Sgt. Dix, rallied and commenced firing upon the Viet Cong. S/Sgt. Dix captur...