By Uher H.R. No. 483 77R7753 GMW-D 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.