Dix enlisted in the United States 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 United States military intervention in the Dominican Republic. By 1968, Dix had reached the rank of staff sergeant, and was assigned as a military adviser to the Army of the Republic of Vietnam 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. In 1993, the Pueblo City Council adopted the tagline "Home of Heroes" for the city due to the fact that Pueblo can claim more recipients of the Medal per capita than any other city in the United States. On July 1, 1993, the Congressional Record recognized Pueblo as the "Home of Heroes." The other men were William J. Crawford, Raymond G. Murphy, and Carl L. Sitter. Dix later received a direct commission to first lieutenant and retired as a major after 20 years of service, his last duty assignment was Executive Officer of the 4th Battalion, 9th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Infantry Brigade, Fort Wainwright, Alaska, from 1981 to 1982.
Later life
After leaving the army, Dix worked as a security consultant, ran an air service in Alaska, and served as Alaska's deputy commissioner for homeland security. In 2000, Dix wrote a memoir about the fight for Chau Phu entitled The Rescue of River City. Since receiving the medal, he has made numerous public speaking engagements. He currently lives in the interior region of Alaska. In 2010, Dix co-founded the Center for American Values in Pueblo, Colorado.
Medal of Honor citation
The President of the United States in the name of the Congress takes pride in presenting the Medal of Honor to Staff Sergeant Drew Dennis Dix United States Army for service as set forth in the following citation:
Publications
Dix, Drew. The Rescue of River City. Fairbanks, Alaska: Drew Dix Pub, 2000.
