Albert King Dixon II

1st ReconBattalion

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1st Reconnaissance Battalion

1st Reconnaissance Battalion

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1st Reconnaissance Battalion

1967

1966

Bravo & 1st Force

Companies

Ron Kovic raising his flag over our hootch

Posted February 22, 2009
An long as I'm back on this subject again, here are a couple more Recon pictures. This picture was taken about Mar of 67 during a rare outing with the Skipper.

Prominently featured is our Company Commander, Captain (soon to be Major) Albert King Dixon. King Dixon was an All-American running back from the University of South Carolina in the late 1950s and was a darn good Skipper.

 

Immediately behind him is Ron Kovic and Fred Brisch, taking a drink, (Fred took his own life some years after going home). In the background over King's left shoulder is our Corpsman, "Doc" Rock (yes, Rock was his real last name). For the past decade or so he's owned a successful bar in S/W PA called, of course, The Stone House. Just visible on the far left of the frame is Ray Triana and in the front left you can just see my hand.

Albert King Dixon, II

Laurens - Albert King Dixon, II of Laurens, South Carolina, passed away on July 6 after a short battle with pancreatic cancer. He is survived by his wife of 61 years who was his sweetheart since the third grade, Augusta Mason Dixon; and his three sons, Albert King "King" Dixon, III (Kristina Halleck Dixon) of Stafford, Virginia; Augustus "Gus" Mason Dixon (Kim King Dixon and sons Andrew "Drew" Mason Dixon and Robert King Dixon) of Columbia, South Carolina; and Lee Simmons Dixon (Margaret Edwards Dixon and daughters Anna Dixon Massullo and Sarah Simmons Dixon) of Greenville, South Carolina. He was a fiercely loyal and devoted husband, father, and grandfather who instilled in his family his personal mantra of faith, family and service in all areas of his life.

King was known for his hard-driving passion and unquenchable enthusiasm in all that he did. He was an outstanding multi-sport athlete at Laurens High School, a football standout at the University of South Carolina, and player/coach of the United States Marine Corps football team. While attending USC, he also excelled academically graduating cum laude and Phi Beta Kappa, and was the recipient of the Algernon Sidney Sullivan Award. He later served at USC as the Associate Vice President for Alumni Affairs, Athletics Director during which time USC joined the Southeastern Conference, and most recently, as a member of the Board of Trustees. He was a Vietnam veteran and retired from the Marine Corps with the rank of Lieutenant Colonel after 22 years of service to his country, having earned a number of military citations for heroic service. His career also included service as the Executive Director of the Laurens YMCA and an executive with The Palmetto Bank.

Beyond his professional service, King loved being with and helping other people. He invested his life and served in leadership roles in a wide-variety of organizations in every city in which he lived: Elder and Sunday School teacher in the Presbyterian Church, Scoutmaster and local council President of the Boy Scouts of America (with all three sons and both grandsons earning the rank of Eagle Scout), coach of youth sports teams, Dixie Youth Baseball, District Governor of Rotary, Straight Street, Senior Laurens, Touchdown Club, United Way, Chamber of Commerce, Economic Development Corporation, Upper Savannah Council of Government, and South Carolina Association of Regional Councils, among others. He received numerous awards for his leadership and service, including the Outstanding Armed Forces Player of the Year; Athletic Halls of Fame for South Carolina, USC, and Laurens High School; South Carolina Order of the Palmetto; Silver Beaver of the Boy Scouts; multiple Rotary Paul Harris Fellows; and many other awards focused in particular on youth, civic and philanthropic service. Above all, he was a man of strong faith who believed he was God's servant and who frequently attributed his accomplishments to the Lord - "to God be the glory!"

A service of thanksgiving will be held at First Presbyterian Church of Laurens, SC, on Friday, July 10 at 3:00 p.m. with only the family in attendance and live streamed for all others, followed by a private family interment with full military honors at Forest Lawn Cemetery. To view the live streamed service, click the link on King's obituary at www.thekennedymortuary.com on Friday prior to the service. Memorials may be made to the First Presbyterian Church Laurens Endowment Fund, Blue Ridge Council of the Boy Scouts of America Endowment Fund, or the Rotary Foundation.

Albert King Dixon is survived by his wife, Augusta

Albert King Dixon II

Passed away July 6, 2020 at the age of 83

High School – Laurens High School

Lettered all four years in football, basketball, baseball and track for the Tigers
First-team high school All-American in 1954
MVP of Shrine Bowl
Won 100 yard dash at the state track meet
 

College – University of South Carolina

Played at USC 1956-58
Played for Coach Warren Giese
All-ACC football player and second team All-American
Was team MVP for 3 years
Played in North-South Shrine Bowl in Miami
Was the only player to return a kickoff in back-to-back games until Debo Samuel did in in 2017. Samuel is now a member of the San Francisco 49ers.
Graduated in in 19589 cum laude with a degree in political science and was selected UDC’s outstanding male graduate. He was also a member of Phi Beta Kappa
Was recruited by Frank Howard at Clemson who knew him through his relationship with King’s father when they both were in the Navy. King later helped the Gamecocks upset the #10 Tigers his senior season handing the Tigers their first loss.

Marine Corps – Enlisted after graduating from USC and served 22 years

Retired as a lieutenant colonel
Earned a Bronze Star and other metals for heroism while in combat in Vietnam
Coached Marine football teams one of which was invited to come to PC and play Coach Cally Gault’s football team where as King put it “they honored us and fed us and then went out and beat our behind.”

USC Athletic Director from 1988-92

Led USC into the SEC
Cleaned up USC football after steroid scandal
Hired Sparky Woods as football coach after death of Joe Morrison
Fired basketball coach George Felton and hired Steve Newton to replace him

Other Notes

King returned to Laurens after his time in the Marine Corps to serve as director of the Laurens YMCA and later worked with the Palmetto Bank
Very Active in the Boys Scouts and Rotary Club
Helped to broadcast Laurens Raider football games before and after becoming AD at USC
Was inducted into the USC Association of Lettermen’s Hall of Fame in 1991
Was a member of the first group inducted into the Laurens County Sports Hall of Fame back in 2017
Was on numerous boards locally and throughout the state and was known for his ability to get things done and helped to spearhead many worthwhile projects in Laurens County and beyond
Was appointed to USC Board of Trustees earlier this year after A.C. “Bubba Fennell passed away
Survived by his wife of 61 years Augusta Mason Dixon who was his sweetheart since the third grade and three sons Albert King Dixon III, Augustus Mason Dixon and Lee Simmons Dixon

"What a Wonderful Life"

I have to be honest and say that being from 1st Recon Battalion I only “knew of” Commander Albert King Dixon but did not come to know him until after I mat him at a reuion 9 years ago.

1st Recon BN Membership Director/Webmaster

Albert King Dixon Bronze Star

22 years in the U.S. Marine Corps, a career that included tours in Vietnam. During his military carer, he received the Bronze Star, the Navy Commendation with Combat V for Heroic Services and the Vietnamese Cross of Gallantry with Silver Star.

Vietnam War casualties who earned the
Bronze Star Medal with V for Valor

“A Marine on duty has no friends.”

“Swift-Silent-Deadly — 1st Recon Battalion”

Albert King Dixon II

Albert King Dixon II

1st Force Recon 3rd Platoon "Moose Peak" Camp Reasoner in Da Nang November- 68

1st Force Recon Swift Scout Phu Bai Feb- 68

“Recon: No better friend — no worse enemy ”

1937- 2020

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Photo Gallery

Part 3

Forest Lawn Cemetery

Albert King Dixon II

1937 - 2020

RIP

Part 2 of 3

Part 3