Master Sergeant Edward E. Mixon, June 25, 1956 to November 5, 1991


Edward Earl Mixon was born on June 25, 1956 to Betty Mae Mixon in Selma, Alabama. Beginning his first job at age 6, he focused on working hard to bring himself up from a disadvantaged environment.

MSG Mixon joined the United States Army after graduating from the Alabama Lutheran Academy in 1974. He was especially proud of his service in two of America’s elite units: the 82nd Airborne Division and the 2nd Armored Cavalry Regiment. The Army became his family, and he was able to inspire confidence in soldiers, officers, and his fellow NCOs. He was a Master Paratrooper, Master Gunner, and a recipient of several awards, including two Meritorious Service Medals. He was also an astute evaluator of human nature. He had the ability to quickly size up a person’s character, and he knew how to bring out that person’s best.

During his tour with the 2nd ACR in Europe, MSG (then SFC) Mixon married the former Beverly Moyd in July of 1988. It was also during this time that MSG Mixon became acquainted with the current members of the 2nd Dragoons Foundation while he served as a platoon leader, platoon sergeant, and acting First Sergeant in G Troop, 2nd Squadron, 2nd ACR. Many of the troopers that MSG Mixon trained and led during this period distinguished themselves in the first Gulf War and later in ongoing military and civilian careers.

Upon his return to the US, MSG Mixon and Beverly were stationed in Ft. Snelling, MN, where MSG Mixon served as a Reserve Advisory and was selected for promotion to Master Sergeant. While in Minnesota, MSG Mixon experienced a number of stunning changes. First, he dedicated himself to Jesus Christ in 1989, which added to the happiness of the newly married couple. In July of the following year, his faith was challenged when he was diagnosed with colon cancer. MSG Mixon then displayed his widely admired leadership qualities when he spent time visiting and motivating fellow cancer patients. He continued to display this courage through months of treatment and an ultimate diagnosis that the disease would be terminal. One example of MSG Mixon’s grace and courage during this ordeal was when he said, “cancer was the best thing that ever happened to him,” a statement that reflected how the affliction brought him closer to his wife, his faith, and other people.

MSG Mixon was both promoted to Master Sergeant and medically retired in 1990. After retirement, the Mixons moved to North Carolina to be closer to family and near a good treatment center. To the end, he kept up the spirit of those around him. He passed away on November 5, 1991 and currently rests in the post cemetery at Fort Bragg, the home of MSG Mixon’s beloved 82nd Airborne.

Those of us who knew MSG Mixon in the Army will remember him as Sergeant First Class Mixon, the widely respected and near-ideal cavalry platoon sergeant. We have named our foundation after Edward E. Mixon as a token of the high esteem in which we hold his memory, as well as our appreciation for all the fine noncommissioned officers that trained, taught, advised, and occasionally straightened us out during our military service.

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