This is from yesterday, Thursday, 11 October 2007.
Our great friend and Warrior went West at 5:00 this afternoon. We wish him a safe flight and smooth landing. Details of service(s) will follow as soon as they are known.
Blue skies,
Ollie Crawford
P.S. Tex Hill's health has been on the decline for a long while. He has been in and out of the hospital the past 6 weeks or so with his last visit a week ago when he suffered a painful fall in the early hours of the morning. The fall caused a severe back/spinal injury which could only be relieved with strong medication. He slept most of the time, but woke up one morning and stated that he would like to have a party.
Several friends were notified and arrived that afternoon to visit with the great man and which also may have been a final farewell. And there were surprises. John Agather has a fine voice and presented his version of the Mills Brothers and Frank Sinatra which Tex seemed to enjoy very much. Another old time friend played a guitar. And Tex joined in by playing a harmonica. His doctor called to see if he was still with us. And when he found out what was going on he rush over to join the party. Mrs Hill was rather upset about the whole event but told me that it was Tex ' party and she was happy with that fact and especially that Tex survived the ordeal. The next day, he did rally for a short time and held my hand for a few minutes but was in no shape to visit.
David Lee ' Tex ' Hill
. . was born on 13 July 1915 in Kwangju, Korea, the son of Presbyterian missionaries, who moved to Texas when he was 6 years old. After finishing Austin College in 1938, Tex completed naval flight school and served in a torpedo squadron on USS Saratoga and in a dive-bomber squadron on USS Ranger.
He was recruited in 1941 to serve in the Claire Chennault's AVG ' Flying Tigers ' where he served as a flight leader and then squadron leader flying the Curtiss P-40. In his service with the AVG, he was credited with destroying 10.25 Japanese planes, and was one of the top aces. His first victories came on January 3, 19 42, when he downed two Ki-27 Nates over the Japanese airfield at Tak, Thailand. He claimed two more on the 23rd. Tex made Ace on the 24th, when he shot down a bomber and a fighter over Rangoon. In May 1942, the Japanese Army began building a key pontoon bridge across the Salween River, that would allow the Japanese to move troops and supplies into China. To stem this tide, Squadron Leader David Lee "Tex" Hill led a flight of four new P-40's to bomb and strafe within the mile deep gorge. During the next four days, the AVG pilots flew continuous missions into the gorge, effectively neutralizing the Japanese forces. From that day on, the enemy never advanced farther than the Salween's west bank. Flying Tiger leader Claire Chennault, would later write of these critical missions led by Tex Hill : "The American Volunteer Group had staved off China's collapse."
After the deactivation of the Flying Tigers Tex Hill was one of only five to join its USAAF successor, the 23rd Fighter Group. He was promoted to major in the Army Air Corps. then later commanded the 23rd Fighter Group. In late 1944, before returning to the States, Tex Hill and his P-51 Mustang scratched another six Japanese aircraft.
Altogether, Hill destroyed 18.25 enemy aircraft in the air.
On Thanksgiving Day 1943, he led a force of 12 B-25s, 10 P-38s, and 8 new P-51 Mustangs across the straits on the first strike against Japanese-held Formosa. The Japanese had 100 bombers and 100 fighters located at a Formosan Airfield, and several of the bombers were in the landing pattern as ' Tex ' Hill's force arrived. The enemy managed to get seven fighters airborne, but they were promptly knocked down. Forty-two Japanese airplanes were destroyed and 12 more were probably destroyed in the attack. Tex brought the American force returned home without casualties.
During the closing months of World War II, Tex Hill Commanded the first jet aircraft unit in the Army Air Forces flying the Bell XP-59 and then the Lockheed Shooting Star.
Military Honors : Distinguished Service Cross, Distinguished Flying Cross with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters, Presidential Unit Citation with one Oak Leaf Cluster, Silver Star, Chinese Order of the Cloud Banner 4, 5 & 6th, 2-Star Wing Decorations, Chinese Victory Medal and British Distinguished Flying Cross.
