John Gillespie Hill, Jr. – Major General, United States Army

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From a contemporary press report:

John Gillespie Hill Jr., 72, a retired Army Major General who was a highly decorated veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars, died of brain cancer March 28, 1999, at a nursing home in Austin, Texas.

General Hill served with the 7th Cavalry Regiment in the Korean War and participated in some of the fiercest fighting of the war. For his service there, he received the Distinguished Service Cross, the Army's highest award for valor except for the Medal of Honor, and the Silver Star.

He had two tours of duty during the Vietnam War, first as an adviser to the South Vietnamese Army and later as a Brigade Commander in the 5th Mechanized Infantry Division, Assistant Division Commander of the 101st Airborne Division and Commanding General of the U.S. Army Support Command in Cam Ranh Bay.

His other military honors included the Distinguished Service Medal, a Legion of Merit and a Distinguished Flying Cross.

After 32 years in the Army and an assignment as head of the U.S. Military Training Mission to Saudi Arabia, he retired in 1978 and pursued a career as a lawyer. He received a law degree from the University of Texas and established a private practice in Austin. He retired in the mid-1990s because of health reasons.

He was born in Plattsburgh, New York. At age 19, he graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and received a commission as a Second Lieutenant.

Survivors include his wife of 46 years, Elizabeth Leslie Hill of Austin; three sons; a stepmother; a sister; and a granddaughter.

HILL, JOHN GILLESPIE JR
MG US ARMY

  • VETERAN SERVICE DATES: 08/31/1956 – 08/31/1978
  • DATE OF BIRTH: 08/09/1926
  • DATE OF DEATH: 03/28/1999
  • DATE OF INTERMENT: 12/22/1999
    BURIED AT: SECTION 5-A  ROW 4  SITE 1

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