Here is the bio directly from the GML2007 program.
David 'Tex' Hill was born in July 1915 in Kwangju, Korea, the son of missionaries who returned to the United States, settling in Texas in 1921.
By the age of 19, Hill knew he wanted to serve in the military, but followed his father's wishes and attended college at Texas A&M, later enrolling in Austin College. While attending school, Hill applied for the Army Air Corps Aviation Program, but didn't qualify. He never learned why.
Undeterred, Hill applied to the Navy's aviation training program. He was accepted and, after college graduation in 1938, Hill traveled to Florida for Naval Flight Training
He was commissioned a Naval Ensign in 1939 and ordered to report to the USS Saratoga and serve in a torpedo squadron. On the Saratoga, Hill flew the Douglass TBD-1, vastly different from anything he had flown in training.
When General Chenault called for volunteers to form his American Volunteer Group (AVG), Hill was one of the first in line. He resigned his commission and traveled with the AVG to China.
As a member of the AVG- a group that would come to be known as the Flying Tigers - Hill was among the first Americans to see combat in World War II.
During his time with the Fighting Tigers, Hill became a triple Ace, destroying more than 18 enemy aircraft, including the first Japanese Zero shot down by a P-51 Mustang.
Chased from one location to another by Japanese air and ground forces, the Flying Tigers took to the skies time and again to defeat Japanese aircraft. Hill and his fellow pilots got their fuel, ammunition and supplies whenever they could, performed aircraft maintenance under trees and lived in small enclaves under constant enemy attack.
Despite these conditions, during an eight-month period, the Flying Tigers downed 297 Japanese aircraft - twelve of which were shot down by Hill.
After deactivation of the Flying Tigers in 1942, Hill accepted a promotion to become a Major in the Army Air Corps. He remained in China to form the 75th Fighter Squadron and later to command the 23rd Fighter Group, the latter of which was the first fighter group to be formed in the field of battle.
While on leave, Hill married his wife of 63 years, Mazie, in March 1943.
During the closing months of the war, Hill commanded the 412th Fighter Group, the first jet unit in the Army Air Forces. The group flew the Bell XP-59 and later flew the Lockheed P-80. He returned to the US in 1944.
In 1946, Hill resigned his commission and left active duty. He joined the Air National Guard and would become the organizations youngest Brigadier General. He retired from the military in 1968.
Hill was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross, the Distinguished Flying Cross with three Oak Leaf Clusters, the Presidential Unit Citation with one Oak Leaf Cluster, the Silver Star as well as many military honors from China and Great Britain.
For courageous leadership and service to his country, Hill earned his place in the National Aviation Hall of Fame.
