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Drew Dix was a staff sergeant in the Army, attached to IV Corps, the Military Assistance Command, when he received the Medal of Honor for service in Chau Doc Province, Vietnam, on January 31 and February 1, 1968.
Two heavily armed Viet Cong battalions attacked the provincial capital, Chau Phu. Dix, with a patrol of Vietnamese soldiers, was recalled to assist in the defense of the city. He organized relief forces, who, under heavy fire, rescued a nurse and other civilians trapped in the city. The following day Dix assembled a 20-man force and braved intense enemy fire to clear the Viet Cong out of a hotel, theater and other adjacent buildings in the city. Vietnamese soldiers were so inspired by his heroism that they rallied and resumed fighting the Viet Cong. Dix captured 20 prisoners, including a high-ranking Viet Cong official. He liberated the home of the deputy province chief and rescued his family.
Dix is the first enlisted man in Special Forces to have been awarded the Medal of Honor. He received a direct commission to first lieutenant and retired with the rank of major after serving 20 years in the Army, many of those in unconventional warfare assignments.
Following retirement from the Army, Dix continued to work in support of government-sponsored programs, and he owned and operated an air service in the Alaskan interior. He has worked as a consultant in both the private and public sectors in the areas of security and special operations.
His 2000 autobiography, "The Rescue of River City," is the story of Dix's medal-winning experience as a counterterrorism expert in the Army. In September 2002, as Alaska's deputy commissioner for homeland security, he was chosen to head the state's Task Force on Homeland Security.
CITATION:
DIX, DREW DENNIS
Rank and Organization: Staff Sergeant, U.S. Army, U.S. Senior Advisor Group, IV Corps, Military Assistance Command. Place and date: Chau Doc Province, Republic of Vietnam, 31 January and 1 February 1968. Entered service at: Denver, Colo. Born: 14 December 1944, West Point, N.Y. Citation: 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 captured 20 prisoners, including a high ranking Viet Cong official. He then attacked enemy troops who had entered the residence of the Deputy Province Chief and was successful in rescuing the official's wife and children. S/Sgt. Dix's personal heroic actions resulted in 14 confirmed Viet Cong killed in action and possibly 25 more, the capture of 20 prisoners, 15 weapons, and the rescue of the 14 United States and free world civilians. The heroism of S/Sgt. Dix was in the highest tradition and reflects great credit upon the U.S. Army.
Rex Johnson, Drew Dix (Medal of Honor recipient) and Harry Humphries (left to right) take a break after having just made contact with a small enemy force while operating in the An Phu district just north of Chau Phu, Vietnam. Courtesy S/Sgt. Drew Dix, USA (Ret.)
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