to his alma mater and were wed at the log chapel on the campus at Notre Dame. Their first child, Henry Sherwood Dixon, would be born the following year. In the 1930s, Dixon would begin his foray into politics as a Democrat. Dixon served as president of the local school board and later served on various Democratic central committees to include both Lee County, and at the State level for Illinois. World War II In early 1941, now Lieutenant Colonel Sherwood Dixon commanded in the 129th Infantry Regiment as part of the 33rd Infantry Division of the Illinois National Guard when it was called to active duty. Within two years the 129th would be sent to the Pacific Theater of Operations, but because Dixon was over 45 years old, it was against Army regulations for him to deploy overseas. Instead, he was sent to Camp Shelby, Mississippi, and on 1 February 1943 Lieutenant Colonel Sherwood Dixon became the commander of the newly activate 3rd Battalion of the 442nd Infantry Regiment. The 442nd was a “Nisei” unit composed of Japanese Americans, mostly from the Hawaiian Islands, but the officers above the rank of Lieutenant were white officers. Training started at the individual level but by the fall of 1943 the regiment had moved to company and battalion level training and exercises. Dixon focused on ensuring the battalion was at a top level of fitness and able to fight, even after extensive foot marches similar to what he experienced during the First World War. Early in 1944, the Chief of Staff of the Army, General George C. Marshall, came to Mississippi to observe the regiment during maneuvers. Marshall was impressed with the performance of the unit. Shortly after, in late February 1944, the Army declared the 442nd combat ready. The unit soon began preparation for deployment to the European Theater of Operations. The 442nd Regiment became the most decorated unit in the history of American warfare, earning over 4,000 Purple Hearts, eight Presidential Unit Citations (five in one month), and twenty-one of its members were awarded Medals of Honor. Again, Sherwood Dixon would be unable to deploy with the unit he trained, nurtured and mentored for the past year due to his age. Instead of heading off to fight in Italy for the second time, he was assigned to work for General Marshall in the Office of the Chief of Staff, in