It's an eight-foot sculpture set on a 1000 square foot slab of granite, surrounded by flags representing each branch of the armed forces. Mixon is a Marine veteran who fought in the Korean War, and the sculpture represents a labor of love 40 years in the making.
"It's hard to explain," Mixon said.
Talking about his project, a memorial which he is dedicating to all the women in the military, always makes Mixon emotional.
"My daughter spent 22 years in the Navy and people don't realize what they go through," he said.
Mixon says he hopes to one day cover this entire sculpture with pictures of service women, both past and present. He is calling on them to be part of this tribute through their personal photos.
"I'm getting pictures and phone calls from people who are 80-something years old, and that really hits me hard," Mixon said.
His daughter Melody's picture is among the five that have already been placed on the sculpture. While she and her father enlisted decades apart, they were roughly the same age when they were called to duty.
"I'm very, very proud [of her]," Mixon said.
Mixon says with this monument her contribution to the United States and the dedication of so many other military women will be overlooked no more.
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