Major General John Gillespie Hill, Jr. (9 August 192628 March 1999) was a United States Army officer who served in the Korean War and the Vietnam War.

Early life

Hill was born in

Plattsburgh, New York Plattsburgh ( moh, Tsi ietsénhtha) is a city in, and the seat of, Clinton County, New York, United States, situated on the north-western shore of Lake Champlain. The population was 19,841 at the 2020 census. The population of the surrounding ...

on 9 August 1926. His father John Gillespie Hill was a United States Army officer.

Military career

He attended the United States Military Academy graduating as a Second Lieutenant in 1946. During the Korean War he served in the 7th Cavalry Regiment and was awarded the

Distinguished Service Cross The Distinguished Service Cross (D.S.C.) is a military decoration for courage. Different versions exist for different countries. *Distinguished Service Cross (Australia) *Distinguished Service Cross (United Kingdom) *Distinguished Service Cross (U ...

for his actions on the night of 26/7 September 1950 when he destroyed a T-34 during the UN September 1950 counteroffensive. He attended Armed Forces Staff College in 1959,

National War College The National War College (NWC) of the United States is a school in the National Defense University. It is housed in Roosevelt Hall on Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C., the third-oldest Army post still active. History The National War Colle ...

in 1963 and attended

Harvard Business School Harvard Business School (HBS) is the graduate business school of Harvard University, a private research university in Boston, Massachusetts. It is consistently ranked among the top business schools in the world and offers a large full-time MBA p ...

studying advanced management. During the Vietnam War he first served as an adviser to the

Army of the Republic of Vietnam The Army of the Republic of Vietnam (ARVN; ; french: Armée de la république du Viêt Nam) composed the ground forces of the Republic of Vietnam Military Forces, South Vietnamese military from its inception in 1955 to the Fall of Saigon in April ...

(ARVN)’s Phuoc Binh Thanh Special Zone and later to the 10th Infantry Division from August 1964 to July 1965. From June 1968 to October 1969 he served as Executive to the Vice Chief of Staff and as Deputy Secretary of the General Staff (Staff Action Control), Office of the Chief of Staff at The Pentagon. He qualified as an army aviator in 1969. On his second tour in South Vietnam from July 1970 to May 1971 he served as commander of the 1st Brigade, 5th Mechanized Infantry Division and in this role he was responsible for providing logistical support to the ARVN in Operation Lam Son 719. On 23 March 1971 '' The New York Times'' reported that he dealt with a combat refusal by men of Troop B, First Squadron, 1st Cavalry Regiment who refused to move to secure a damaged helicopter and their commanding officer's armored vehicle. Hill relieved the Captain of his command, blaming him for losing control of his unit after becoming separated from it. He then served as Assistant Division Commander of the

101st Airborne Division The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) ("Screaming Eagles") is a light infantry division of the United States Army that specializes in air assault operations. It can plan, coordinate, and execute multiple battalion-size air assault operati ...

and as commander. During the Easter Offensive of 1972 he was appointed

II Corps 2nd Corps, Second Corps, or II Corps may refer to: France * 2nd Army Corps (France) * II Cavalry Corps (Grande Armée), a cavalry unit of the Imperial French Army during the Napoleonic Wars * II Corps (Grande Armée), a unit of the Imperial French ...

deputy senior adviser and worked with

John Paul Vann John Paul Vann (born John Paul Tripp; July 2, 1924 – June 9, 1972) was a lieutenant colonel in the United States Army, later retired, who became well known for his role in the Vietnam War. Although separated from the military before the Vietnam ...

in countering the

People’s Army of Vietnam The People's Army of Vietnam (PAVN; vi, Quân đội nhân dân Việt Nam, QĐNDVN), also recognized as the Vietnam People's Army (VPA) or the Vietnamese Army (), is the military force of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the armed win ...

forces in the Battle of Kontum. From September 1973 to February 1975 he served as commander of the U.S. Military Training Mission to Saudi Arabia. He retired from the Army in 1978 as a Major General.

Later life

Following his retirement from the Army, he qualified as a lawyer at the University of Texas and ran a legal practice in Austin, Texas until the mid-1990s. He died on 28 March 1999 from brain cancer and is buried at Arlington National Cemetery.

Decorations

His decorations included the Distinguished Service Cross,

Distinguished Service Medal Distinguished Service Medal (DSM) is a high award of a nation. Examples include: *Distinguished Service Medal (Australia) (established 1991), awarded to personnel of the Australian Defence Force for distinguished leadership in action * Distinguishe ...

(2),

Legion of Merit The Legion of Merit (LOM) is a military award of the United States Armed Forces that is given for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services and achievements. The decoration is issued to members of the eight ...

(2),

Silver Star The Silver Star Medal (SSM) is the United States Armed Forces' third-highest military decoration for valor in combat. The Silver Star Medal is awarded primarily to members of the United States Armed Forces for gallantry in action against an e ...

, Distinguished Flying Cross and Bronze Star (2)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hill Jr., John G. United States Army generals 1926 births 1999 deaths United States Army personnel of the Korean War United States Army personnel of the Vietnam War United States Military Academy alumni National War College alumni Deaths from brain cancer in the United States