Summary
- Captain Lewis Nixon from Band of Brothers was a capable officer who was demoted due to the horrors of war and personal struggles.
- Despite his demotion, Nixon's alcoholism was accepted by his fellow soldiers as a way for him to cope with the war.
- Nixon's character in the series accurately depicts his real-life bravery and notable moments during the war, including his promotion to S-2 and his friendship with Dick Winters.
The Captain Lewis Nixon Band of Brothers character was demoted despite being shown to be an intelligent and capable officer. He featured as one of the main characters in the series, and Band of Brothers episode 9, "Why We Fight," focused entirely on his story. It was revealed in this episode that not only was he demoted from Regimental S-2 to Battalion S-3, but also that his wife was divorcing him and taking everything. The horrors of war and his wife's letter can explain some of his motivations behind the reason he was demoted but by the end of the episode, why they fought was made clear.
Played by Ron Livingston, alongside a stellar cast in Band of Brothers, Captain Lewis Nixon was based on a real person. In June 1944, Nixon was dropped into Normandy on D-Day along with the rest of Easy Company but the horrors of war impacted Nixon so much that he took to excessive alcohol consumption. This led to his demotion to S-3 when he became unreliable. His fondness for alcohol was an important theme in Band of Brothers though it is not seen to negatively impact his duties. His alcoholism was recognized by other members of his Battalion, but it was also accepted as they realized this was one of the few ways he could cope with the war.
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Nixon Didn't See A Lot Of Action In Band Of Brothers
Throughout the series, Nixon often bemoaned his lack of action having been promoted to S-2 very early on in the war. Since S-2 denoted intelligence and security, he would not have as influential a role on the frontline as a soldier such as Richard Winters and the rest of Easy Company. He was the only soldier to appear in Band of Brothers who never once shot his carbine. However, this is not to say Nixon did not involve himself in the dangers that were at the frontline. Running across to Utah Beach in Normandy was a certain act of bravery, as was his brush with death in Holland after a bullet ricocheted from his helmet.
The subtlety of alcohol dependence in wartime was a subject handled with nuance in Band of Brothers, with Nixon's story being especially compelling. Whether Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg's Masters of the Air - a sequel to be released in 2022 - will also deal with such a subject matter is yet to be confirmed. Soldiers played by stars such as Austin Butler and Barry Keoghan who are set to appear in Spielberg's Masters of the Air may exhibit similarities with the characters of Band of Brothers, but this will only be confirmed by its expected release on Apple TV+.
WHERE TO WATCH: Stream Band Of Brothers On Max
The True Story Of Lewis Nixon
The Nixon Band of Brothers character is accurate to the real man as his notable moments in the war were captured in the miniseries. When Nixon received a map from Major Richard Winters (then First Lieutenant) that detailed the German artillery positions in Normandy, he ran three miles to Utah Beach to pass it to the chain of command. Command was thrilled with important intel and this, coupled with his bravery in Operation Market Garden, earned Nixon the promotion to S-2. As depicted in the series, once the battalion captured Hitler's Eagle's Nest, Nixon was given the first choice of Goering's liquor cabinet.
However, some of the notable elements left out of the series include the fact that he joined the 17th Airborne Division during Operation Varsity when his plane was directly hit and he was one of only three men to escape. The narration given in the last episode of Band of Brothers is also accurate as it relates to Nixon's life after the war. After two failed marriages, Nixon married Grace Umezawa in 1956 and was with her for the rest of his life. His friendship with Dick Winters also lasted as Winters accepted his job offer working at Nixon Nitration Works, was best man at his wedding, and gave the eulogy at Nixon's funeral in 1995.
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Band of Brothers
- Cast:
- Kirk Acevedo, Eion Bailey, Michael Cudlitz, Dale Dye, Scott Grimes, Frank John Hughes, Damian Lewis, Ron Livingston, James Madio, Neal McDonough, David Schwimmer, Richard Speight Jr., Donnie Wahlberg, Matthew Settle, Rick Warden, Marc Warren, Dexter Fletcher, Colin Hanks, Ross McCall
- Release Date:
- 2001-09-09
- Seasons:
- 1
- Genres:
- Drama, History
- Summary:
- Band of Brothers tells the dramatized story of World War II's "Easy" company, as they go through training together, participate in major wartime events in Europe, all the way until the end of the war.
- Writers:
- Erik Jendresen, Tom Hanks, John Orloff, E. Max Frye, Graham Yost, Bruce C. McKenna
- Network:
- HBO Max
- Directors:
- Richard Loncraine, David Nutter, Tom Hanks, David Frankel, Phil Alden Robinson, Mikael Salomon
- Streaming Service(s):
- Hulu, HBO Max
- Showrunner:
- Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks
- Season List:
- Band of Brothers - Season 1
