R E S O L U T I O N
1-1 WHEREAS, The Texas House of Representatives is pleased to
1-2 honor David L. "Tex" Hill of San Antonio for his myriad
1-3 achievements and dedicated and distinguished service to our nation;
1-4 and
1-5 WHEREAS, The son of American missionaries, this esteemed
1-6 gentleman was born in Kwangju, Korea, but was raised in Texas;
1-7 after graduating from Austin College in Sherman in 1938, Mr. Hill
1-8 enlisted in the U.S. Navy and was commissioned as an aviation cadet
1-9 at Pensacola NAS, fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming an
1-10 aviator by earning his wings in 1939; and
1-11 WHEREAS, He served for three years in the Navy flying torpedo
1-12 planes off the USS Saratoga and divebombers off the USS Ranger, and
1-13 in 1941 he was discharged so that he could join the American
1-14 Volunteer Group (AVG); as a flight leader and then commander of the
1-15 AVG's 2nd Squadron, the "Panda Bears," Mr. Hill fought in Burma,
1-16 China, and Thailand during World War II and was credited with
1-17 12-1/4 aerial victories; the AVG was made famous in the 1942 film
1-18 Flying Tigers, in which Mr. Hill was portrayed by none other than
1-19 John Wayne; and
1-20 WHEREAS, The AVG disbanded in 1942, and Mr. Hill joined the
1-21 Army Air Force as a major, commanding the 75th Fighter Squadron; he
1-22 then led the 23rd Fighter Group over China, and on November 25,
1-23 1943, led a force of eight P-51 Mustangs, eight P-38s, and 14 B-25
1-24 Mitchells on a surprise raid of the Japanese airfield on Formosa, a
2-1 mission in which he gained notoriety by becoming the first Mustang
2-2 pilot to down a Japanese Oscar; and
2-3 WHEREAS, Credited with 18-1/4 aerial victories and more than
2-4 20 probable victories, Mr. Hill spent the remainder of World War II
2-5 as commander of the 412th Fighter Group; he left the Army Air Force
2-6 in 1945 and joined the Texas Air National Guard, for which he
2-7 commanded the 58th Fighter Wing and became the youngest brigadier
2-8 general in the history of the ANG at the age of 31; and
2-9 WHEREAS, In 1947 this exceptional individual resigned his
2-10 commission and journeyed to Africa to trap gorillas for the movie
2-11 Mighty Joe Young, and afterward he returned to Texas and signed on
2-12 with the Air Force Reserve's 433rd Tactical Airlift Wing at Kelly
2-13 Air Force Base; Mr. Hill retired in 1968, ending a stellar career
2-14 that saw him fly more than 3,500 hours, including more than 150
2-15 combat sorties over Burma, Indochina, and China; and
2-16 WHEREAS, An avid sportsman and gourmet cook, he remains
2-17 active with such organizations as the Flying Tigers Association,
2-18 the Order of the Daedalians, and the American Fighter Aces; he is
2-19 also a devoted husband, and he and his wife, Mazie, have shared 58
2-20 years of wonderful memories together; and
2-21 WHEREAS, David L. "Tex" Hill is truly an American hero and a
2-22 living legend among the fighter pilot fraternity, and it is truly a
2-23 privilege to pay tribute to this remarkable gentleman at this time;
2-24 now, therefore, be it
2-25 RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 77th Texas
2-26 Legislature hereby commend David L. "Tex" Hill for his many
2-27 significant accomplishments and extend to him sincere appreciation
3-1 for his exemplary service to our state and nation; and, be it
3-2 further
3-3 RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be
3-4 prepared for Mr. Hill as an expression of high regard by the Texas
3-5 House of Representatives.
Uher
Laney Goodman Merritt
Alexander Goolsby Miller
Allen Gray Moreno of Harris
Averitt Green Moreno of El Paso
Bailey Grusendorf Morrison
Berman Gutierrez Mowery
Bonnen Haggerty Naishtat
Bosse Hamric Najera
Brimer Hardcastle Nixon
Brown of Kaufman Hartnett Noriega
Brown of Brazos Hawley Oliveira
Burnam Heflin Olivo
Callegari Hilbert Pickett
Capelo Hilderbran Pitts
Carter Hill Puente
Chavez Hinojosa Ramsay
Chisum Hochberg Rangel
Christian Hodge Raymond
Clark Homer Reyna of Bexar
Coleman Hope Reyna of Dallas
Cook Hopson Ritter
Corte Howard Sadler
Counts Hunter Salinas
Crabb Hupp Seaman
Craddick Isett Shields
Crownover Janek Smith
Danburg Jones of Lubbock Smithee
Davis of Harris Jones of Bexar Solis
Davis of Dallas Jones of Dallas Solomons
Delisi Junell Swinford
Denny Keel Talton
Deshotel Keffer Telford
Driver King of Parker Thompson
Dukes King of Uvalde Tillery
Dunnam Kitchen Truitt
Dutton Kolkhorst Turner of Coleman
Edwards Krusee Turner of Harris
Ehrhardt Kuempel Uher
Eiland Lewis of Tarrant Uresti
Elkins Lewis of Orange Villarreal
Ellis Longoria Walker
Farabee Luna West
Farrar McCall Williams
Flores McClendon Wilson
Gallego McReynolds Wise
Garcia Madden Wohlgemuth
George Marchant Wolens
Geren Martinez Fischer Woolley
Giddings Maxey Yarbrough
Glaze Menendez Zbranek
_______________________________
Speaker of the House
I certify that H.R. No. 483 was adopted by the House on March
20, 2001, by a non-record vote.
_______________________________
Chief Clerk of the House