The Early Life and Military Beginnings of Captain Lewis Nixon III: From Privilege to Paratrooper Hero
By Marcus Hale, Military History Correspondent The Veterans’ Chronicle | December 23, 2025
Captain Lewis Nixon III, the charismatic intelligence officer of Easy Company, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, led a life of stark contrasts—from a wealthy, bicoastal upbringing to the brutal frontlines of World War II. Born on September 30, 1918, in New York City, Nixon was the eldest of three children to Stanhope Wood Nixon, a prominent businessman, and Doris Ryer Nixon. Tragedy struck early when his younger brother, Fletcher Ryer, died in infancy in 1922, leaving Lewis and his sister Blanche as the surviving siblings.
Raised in affluence, the Nixon family split time between Manhattan and Montecito, California. A passion for the sea ran deep; Nixon’s grandfather, Lewis Nixon I, was a renowned naval architect and shipbuilder who designed battleships for the U.S. Navy. This legacy manifested early—at just seven years old, young Lewis competed in a model yacht regatta on Central Park’s Conservatory Lake on May 22, 1926, showcasing the family’s nautical enthusiasm.
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The Nixons’ privileged life included extensive European travels in the interwar years, exposing young Lewis to the cultures of Germany, England, and France before Adolf Hitler’s rise shattered the continent’s peace. These experiences fostered a worldly sophistication that would later define him.
Academically gifted, Nixon attended the prestigious Cate School in Carpinteria (near Santa Barbara), California, graduating with distinction. He then enrolled at Yale University, studying for two years amid the Ivy League’s elite circles. However, personal and global events intervened. Shortly after marrying his first wife, Nixon enlisted in the U.S. Army on January 14, 1941, in Trenton, New Jersey—months before Pearl Harbor thrust America into war. His path shifted irrevocably toward military service.
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By year’s end, the newlywed underwent basic training at Camp Croft, South Carolina. Though he and future close friend Richard Winters trained similarly, they first met properly at Officer Candidate School in Fort Benning, Georgia. Both emerged as second lieutenants, briefly separating before reuniting in the elite paratrooper program.
Nixon initially served with a Military Police unit at Fort Ord, California, but volunteered for the rigorous airborne forces—a decision that aligned him with Winters. They were assigned to Easy Company, 2nd Battalion, 506th Parachute Infantry Regiment, at Camp Toccoa, Georgia, under the command of the notoriously strict Captain Herbert Sobel.
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Easy Company was among the first U.S. units to receive specialized parachute training, enduring grueling marches up Currahee Mountain and Sobel’s demanding regimen. While Sobel’s methods forged unbreakable bonds and physical toughness, they also bred resentment, culminating in his eventual demotion. By October 1942, Winters rose to first lieutenant, and Nixon became commander of 2nd Platoon.
This period marked the forging of Nixon’s legendary friendship with Winters—a teetotaler and disciplined leader contrasting Nixon’s hard-drinking, free-spirited nature. Their bond, rooted in mutual respect, would sustain them through D-Day, the Battle of the Bulge, and beyond.
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Nixon’s transition from privileged yachtsman to battle-hardened officer exemplifies the “Greatest Generation’s” sacrifices. His intelligence acumen, wit, and loyalty made him indispensable to Easy Company, earning him three Bronze Stars and a reputation as a fearless leader despite personal struggles.
As depicted vividly by Ron Livingston opposite Damian Lewis as Winters, Nixon’s story resonates as one of transformation—leaving behind luxury for duty, emerging as a hero whose early life of opportunity fueled his wartime resolve.
