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Duty, Honor, Country. These three hallowed words reverently dictate what you ought to be, what you can be, what you will be. For John Gillespie Hill, this was the creed by which he strove to live and the standard by which every action was measured through many years of learning, doing and perfecting.</div>
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<em>John Hill </em>was born 19 December 1899 in Hillsboro, Kansas, the oldest of nine children of a Kansas farm family. The farm life was demanding and the remarkable common sense, love of family and country, sense of decency and fairness that marked him throughout his life all developed during these early years.</div>
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DUTY—In 1917 John enlisted in the Army and went to France with Company D, 137th Infantry of the 35th Division. This initial period of service earned him four battle stars including those for the Meuse-Argonne and St. Mihiel and, most importantly, provided the understanding of men and battle that was to be the solid foundation of his entire military career and life. After World War I, he entered the Military Academy, graduating as an infantryman in 1924. A succession of peacetime assignments followed. After his initial assignment to the 26th Infantry at Plattsburgh Barracks, he served in Panama, Washington, D.C. and Montana and graduated from the Infantry School in 1936 and the Command and General Staff College in 1937. In 1940 he accompanied the 4th Infantry from Fort Missoula, Montana to Anchorage, Alaska as the adjutant of the 1st Battalion and the Alaska Defense Force. He continued to serve as the ‘One’ of Alaska as the troop strength grew from the single battalion to a major command of over a hundred thousand.</div>
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Late in 1943 he joined the forces marshalling in England for the invasion of Europe. As G3 of V Corps, John landed on Omaha Beach on D-Day. He fought as the operations officer of the Corps through Normandy, the liberation of France, the Hurtgen Forest, the Bulge, the breakout from Remagen, to the meeting of the Russians at Torgau and the final closing of the European Campaign in Czechoslovakia in May of 1945. His signature as the G3 authenticates every combat order issued by the Corps during the war in Europe. He was honored for his service with the Distinguished Service Medal; numerous foreign decorations including the French Legion of Honor, the Belgian Order of Leopold, the Luxembourg Carume de Chene and the Czechoslovakian Order of the White Lion; and, most importantly, the respect of his fellow professionals.</div>
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After a short tour of duty in Washington, where he had a major impact on the post war structuring of the Army school system, John returned to Europe in 1946 as the Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations of the European Command. His broad understanding of combat operations made a major contribution as the Army rebuilt to face the new Russian threat. Again, his ability to work with our allies was noted, and the French government promoted him to Officer in the Legion of Honor.</div>
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He returned to the United States in June of 1950 to command the 9th Infantry at Fort Lewis just in time to join his regiment as it embarked for Korea. When he landed in Pusan with his lead elements one battalion was detached under 2d Infantry Division control to block the thrust at Pusan from the north and he took the remainder of the 9th Infantry Combat Team west with orders to advance until they met and stopped the enemy. Commendations from the commander of the 24th Infantry Division, General John Church, and the Eighth Army commander, General Walton Walker, attest to the aggressiveness and efficiency of the regiment in accomplishing its mission and the leadership of its commander. As an infantryman, he particularly was appreciative of the opportunity to earn his Combat Infantry Badge, an award not yet created when he had been fighting as a doughboy in World War I.</div>
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Service in Washington followed until 1953 when John was selected for general officer and reassigned to Korea. He served as Assistant Division Commander of the 40th Division until time came for retirement in 1954. It had been thirty-seven years since he had first raised his hand to be sworn in as an infantryman.</div>
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HONOR—One of the things that gave John tremendous satisfaction during his years at West Point was his work as chairman of the newly formalized Honor Committee. He possessed that strong moral fiber which made him willing to face any challenge and enabled him to provide the leadership that guided the newly formalized Committee as it developed an effective and efficient system of adjudication that has stood the test of decades. While those who have followed in the Long Gray Line may not know the details of his work, they all know the debt they owe to him and his compatriots.</div>
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COUNTRY—John’s early life on the farm gave him an abiding love of the land. His subsequent travels throughout the United States served to reinforce this love and loyalty to the country he served. After retirement from active military service he continued to use his knowledge and experience in Army research as head of the theatre wargaming section at Research Analysis Corporation. His service was so outstanding as to earn him the Civilian Distinguished Service Medal. When time brought a second retirement, he continued to serve in a consultant capacity to the wargamers and to those engaged in leadership studies.</div>
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John’s entire life was marked by a continuing dedication of mind and effort to the study of matters that were of importance to the country. Twice he visited Vietnam to keep himself informed of this new battle and its challenges, spending time with both American and Vietnamese units and accompanying their commanders on combat operations. Through carefully written letters and reports he passed his observations and thoughts on to others, including members of the Congress.</div>
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While maintaining his dedication to the ideals of West Point, John Hill never lost the deep affection for his family and friends. In 1924 he married the sister of classmate Bob Lawes, Selma, whom he loved dearly for forty-five years. They raised a son, John Jr. and a daughter, Jocelyn. Over the years he provided his family with a sense of closeness and appreciation of his own ideals, even during long periods of separation. He continued to provide this strong sense of family to his grandchildren. During many outings, hunting, fishing, cooking, visiting museums, training dogs, swimming in the surf and other activities each grandchild found, even as their parents had, that grandfather had many skills, great understanding and considerable patience.</div>
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The loss of Selma in 1969 left a tremendous void in John’s life which he filled with added time spent with his children, grandchildren and many friends. He was blessed in 1973 to marry Tally Millener, the widow of another classmate. A new group of children and grandchildren benefitted from the inspiration that John provided in so much abundance, and the entire family shared the joy and happiness that he and Tally found together over the next seven years.</div>
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Perhaps the truest measure of a great man is how closely he comes to achieving the highest ideals of his calling. John Hill then was a great man, in the sense that he reflected the ideals of West Point in a very deep caring and unforgettable way in his daily life and inspired others whose lives he touched to reach for these same ideals.</div>
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