Dixon native promoted to Major General with Army Central Command

SHAW AIR FORCE BASE, SC – U.S. Army Central Commanding General Lt. Gen. Patrick Frank promoted Brig. Gen. Henry Dixon of Dixon to the rank of major general as he assumed the role of the deputy commanding general July 7 at Patton Hall on.

Dixon previously served as the United States Army Central assistant chief of staff, or G3, and was responsible for the planning and execution of operations and exercises across the U.S. Central Command area of responsibility.

While Dixon’s military service has taken him all over the world and the U.S., his roots in Illinois run as deep as the Rock River. Dixon grew up in Dixon, along the banks of the river. The general’s ancestor, John Dixon, established the town in 1830. John Dixon worked as a mail carrier between Peoria and Galena before acquiring the river ferry service and establishing a tavern at what became the town that now bears the Dixon name.

Frank said that Maj. Gen. Dixon’s movement into the deputy commanding general role was the right move for the command.

“He is the new DCG because he is a respected officer across the staff,” Frank said. “When Henry Dixon talks, people listen. Above all, he is a leader of character. In the Army and for our Soldiers, that matters.”

Dixon, who commissioned in the Illinois Army National Guard as an infantry officer in 1989, spoke about the reason he serves in the Army and at United States Army Central.

“I am blessed to have the skill, the talents and the abilities to wear the cloth of this nation,” Dixon said. “I am thankful for the opportunity to defend this nation and its people. Lieutenant General Frank, I am also grateful to you for keeping me a part of this team and this family.”

During his speech, Dixon spoke about the role his father played as an inspiration in his life. Dixon is the son of the late Brig. Gen. Henry Dixon of Illinois.

“As many of you know, (my father) passed away in April,” Dixon said. “He was an inspiration and would be proud. But not proud that Henry Dixon became a Major General. Proud that I have the ability to serve this great nation.”

During the ceremony, Frank administered the oath to Dixon and presented the Legion of Merit award for his service as the G3. Command Sergeant Major J. Garza, the United States Army Central senior enlisted leader, presented Dixon with his new two-star general officer flag.

Dixon reflected on his recent travels as the G3 meeting with partners throughout the Middle East.

“On my recent travels in Saudi Arabia, a young captain asked me a question that made me pause,” Dixon said. “She asked, ‘Was it always your goal to be a general officer?’ No, it was not. In every position, it was my goal to do the best job I could at the time. It is what you do in the job now that determines the future. Do your job to the best of your abilities.”

United States Army Central is the U.S. Army Service Component Command for United States Central Command and is responsible to the secretary of the army for the support and administration of more than 12,000 soldiers, including those assigned to joint task forces and embassies, across the 21 countries in the United States Central Command Area of Responsibility.