Warbird Information Exchange

God speed TEX!! You will be missed! I was fortunate enough to meet him several times. A true Hero indeed and he always kept us laughing!

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Never drive faster than your Guardian Angel can fly!!

http://www.390th.org/
www.LSFM.org

Trae

Blues skies and godspeed, Tex. Patriots like him don't grow on trees, and he will be missed.

God bless you & your family Tex. Thank you for being a great American. My prayers to you & your family.
Robbie

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Fly Fast Make Noise!

San Antonio has lost a true friend of the community and hero as well. We will miss him.

Ryan

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Aerial Photographer with Red Wing Aerial Photography currently based at KRBD and tailwheel CFI.
Websites: Texas Tailwheel Flight Training, DoolittleRaid.com and Lbirds.com.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle: but safety is of the LORD. - Prov. 21:31 - Train, Practice, Trust.

God Speed Sir.

Blue skies and tailwinds to a very extraordinary man. God bless his family and friends.

I was very honored (and stunned) to be asked to give Tex a ride back to his hotel when he was at Thunder a few years ago. Those 20 mintues to the hotel were amazing and delightful and is something I will never forget. He was also thrilled to have a "young lady" like me drive him to his hotel (I was in my mid-40s so that was music to my ears).
A true gentleman who will be sorely missed

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"Freedom Is Not Free"

Here is an article on Tex
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/ ... 28f9a.html
and an Audio retrospective
http://www.mysanantonio.com/specials/10 ... index.html

Tim

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"If I had to fight the same war over again, I'd sure want to fight it from the cockpit of a Corsair."
-Archie Donahue

My condolences to the family and friends.

I never had the pleasure of meeting him.

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David
1953 M38A1 jeep owner
& Student Pilot soloed 09/09/06
USAF 1984-1986

From an e-mail.

GONE WEST

Brig. Gen. David Lee "Tex" Hill

Col Ollie Crawford reports, "It is with a heavy heart that I must report that one of our living legends has "Gone West". Thursday at 5 p.m., Flying Tiger Ace and Air Combat Airman Hall of Fame honoree David Lee "Tex" Hill died. Tex was very close to the CAF and had not missed one of the annual airshows for the past 20 years--- until this year.

"His funeral will be held at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the Alamo Heights United Methodist Church in San Antonio. His last flight will be at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery at 2:30 p.m. Aircraft flying over the burial site in his honor over the cemetery will include four Apache helicopters from Fort Knox followed by four A-10s from Moody Air Force Base, followed by four P-51s and then a lone P-40.

Tex was a close personal friend and hunting companion. He will be missed by all who knew him."

Our thoughts and prayers are with his family.

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"If I had to fight the same war over again, I'd sure want to fight it from the cockpit of a Corsair."
-Archie Donahue

he's gone, but the legend & legacy will endure for infinity. he was not only respected, but admired & cherished as a hero. he has more than left his mark. my condolences are with his family & all who looked up to him.

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tom d. friedman - hey!!! those fokkers were messerschmitts!! * without ammunition, the usaf would be just another flying club!!! * better to have piece of mind than piece of tail!!

I never had the honor to meet him, he sounds like an amazing guy...In tribute:

High Flight
Oh! I have slipped the surly bonds of earth
And danced the skies on laughter-silvered wings;
Sunward I've climbed, and joined the tumbling mirth
Of sun-split clouds - and done a hundred things
You have not dreamed of - wheeled and soared and swung
High in the sunlit silence. Hov'ring there
I've chased the shouting wind along, and flung
My eager craft through footless halls of air.
Up, up the long delirious, burning blue,
I've topped the windswept heights with easy grace
Where never lark, or even eagle flew -
And, while with silent lifting mind I've trod
The high untresspassed sanctity of space,
Put out my hand and touched the face of God.

Pilot Officer Gillespie Magee
No 412 squadron, RCAF
Killed 11 December 1941

As I read the passing of "Tex" I can not help welping up a little, at WOH 2 years ago I went into the Legends Tent and talked to Tex and get his autograph on a 8X10 of him standing in front of his P-40. I am looking at this picture now and will always remember talking to him.

Just got back from S.A., Mazie is doing well and the Memorial service was very moving as Reagan Shaupp spoke, as well as Gov. Rick Perry, and there was a video tribute that brought tears to many eyes. The procession to Fort Sam Houston was at least several miles long, and the Internment Ceremony was fitting for a True Hero. As mentioned the weather did not cooperate for the flyby but there was a lone hawk circling. There was a get together for family and friends (which included everyone) at the base Country Club. Ralph Parr, Dick Cole, Johnny Alison, James Empey were there to honor thier friend, and artist John Shaw was in attendance as well.
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/ ... 63567.html
A slideshow can be viewed here
http://www.mysanantonio.com/multimedia/ ... ide_1.html

Tim

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"If I had to fight the same war over again, I'd sure want to fight it from the cockpit of a Corsair."
-Archie Donahue

Darn, still no obituary for Tex in the LA Times. So I've just emailed them this letter below. This usually works with them and I've had to do it several times. It's amazing who gets in there, but then they somehow miss a guy like Tex. Makes no sense. It can't all be blamed on the traditional cliched liberal bias because war heros like Tex usually make it in. Makes you wonder though how they miss him but have some guy that pushed a mop around disneyland.

John

I've been looking for days, hoping you would feature his obituary. Brigadier General, David Tex Hill, a well known WWII triple fighter ace who flew with the famous Flying Tigers passed away at 92 October 11. Please write him up, he was a true american hero and well known to anybody who has studied the aerial battles of WWII.







http://www.acepilots.com/cbi/hill.html





http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/metro/ ... 28f9a.html





He holds the Distinguished Service Cross, Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross with three Oak Leaf Clusters, Presidential Unit Citation with Oak Leaf Cluster, Chinese Order of the Cloud Banner 4th, 5th and 6th grades, 2-Star Wing Decorations, Chinese Victory Medal, and British Distinguished Flying Cross.



Thank you,



John H