Why Nixon Was Demoted In Band Of Brothers
Captain Lewis Nixon's demotion in the Band of Brothers miniseries, despite being hard to watch, was for a significant reason. He featured as one of the main characters in the series, and Band of Brothers episode 3, «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. In a mission like Operation Overlord, rapid communication of the enemy's movements was vital. 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 such important intel and this, coupled with his bravery in Operation Market Garden, earned Nixon the promotion to S-2.
Related: How Band Of Brothers Holds Up After 20 Years
However, the horrors of war impacted Nixon so much that he took to excessive alcohol consumption to help him through the war as shown in Band of Brothers, consistent with his true story. This subsequently led to his demotion to S-3 when he became somewhat unreliable. His fondness for alcohol was an important theme in Band of Brothers episode 3 when the battalion's arrival at a German concentration camp in Landsberg highlighted why they were fighting. Indeed, once the
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