Major General Benjamin R. Mixon Commander, 25^th Infantry Division and U.S. Army, Hawaii

Maj. Gen. Mixon was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant of Infantry in 1975 upon graduation from North Georgia College, Dahlonega, Georgia.     His first assignment was in the 2^nd Battalion, 505th Parachute Infantry Regiment, 82d Airborne Division, where he served as a Rifle Platoon Leader, Scout Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, and Company Commander. Following attendance at the Infantry Officer Advanced Course, he was assigned to the 3^rd Infantry Division (Mechanized), Wuerzburg, Germany. While there, he served on the Division staff and commanded Company B, 1-15th Infantry in Kitzengen, Germany. His subsequent assignments include duty as Assistant Operations Officer, Readiness Group Knox, Fort Knox, Kentucky; Company Commander for Company C, 3^rd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, and Liaison Officer for the 75th Ranger Regiment. From 1988 to 1991, Mixon served as Executive Officer for 3d Battalion, 502^nd Infantry, and Chief of Plans for the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), Fort Campbell, Kentucky. During this tour, he served in Saudi Arabia, participating in Desert Shield / Desert Storm. In October 1991, he was assigned to the Regional Operations Division of the G3, Southern European Task Force in Vicenza, Italy. He commanded the 3-325th Airborne Battalion Combat Team in Italy from June 1992 to June 1994. Mixon served as the G3, 101st Air-borne Division (Air Assault), from June 1994 to July 1995, then commanded the 1st Brigade, 327th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), from October 1996 to August 1998. Mixon then served as the Chief of Staff, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), from August 1998 to June 1999. He served as the Director of Joint Training and Exercises for the United States Joint Forces Command from June 1999 to July 2001 and from July 2001 to June 2002, as the Assistant Division Commander (Operations) for the 82^nd Airborne Division. Mixon served as Chief of Staff, XVIII Airborne Corps, Fort Bragg, North Carolina from July 2002 until June 2003, during which he was forward deployed to Bagram, Afghanistan where he participated in Operation Enduring Freedom as the Director of the Staff of the Combined Joint Task Force 180. His most recent assignment was with U.S. Southern Command, serving as the Director of Operations, J3.     Mixon's military schools include the Infantry Officer Basic and Advanced Courses, Combined Arms Service Staff School, Command and General Staff College, School of Advanced Military Studies, and the United States Army War College.     Mixon has a Master's Degree in Public Administration from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green and a Master's Degree in Military Art and Science, Theater Operations, from the United States Army School of Advanced Military Studies at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas.     His awards and decorations include the Defense Superior Service Medal with two Oak Leaf Clusters, Legion of Merit with Oak Leaf Cluster, Bronze Star Medal, Meritorious Service Medal with four Oak Leaf Clusters, Army Commendation Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Army Achievement Medal with Oak Leaf Cluster, Southwest Asia Ser¬vice Medal with two Bronze Stars, Saudi Arabia-Kuwait Liberation Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal, Ranger Tab, Master Parachutist Badge, Expert Infantryman Badge, Pathfinder Badge, and Air Assault Badge.