James T. Hill

James T. Hill
General James T. Hill
Born	(1946-10-08) October 8, 1946 (age 74) Dayton, Ohio[1]
Allegiance	United States
Service/branch	United States Army
Years of service	1968–2004
Rank	General
Commands held	United States Southern Command I Corps 25th Infantry Division
Battles/wars	Vietnam War Gulf War
Awards	Army Distinguished Service Medal Silver Star (3) Defense Superior Service Medal (2) Legion of Merit (4) Bronze Star Medal with "V" device (3) Purple Heart (2)

General James Thomas Hill (born October 8, 1946) is a retired United States Army four-star general who served as commander of United States Southern Command from 2002 to 2004. Hill also served as the Commanding General, I Corps and Fort Lewis.

Military career[]

Hill is from El Paso, Texas, and was commissioned into the Infantry following graduation from Trinity University in San Antonio, Texas, in 1968. A graduate of the Command and General Staff College and the National War College, he also holds a master's degree in Personnel Management from Central Michigan University.

After completion of the Infantry Officers Basic, Ranger, and Airborne Courses, and an initial assignment at Fort Hood, Texas, Hill served with the 2–502nd Infantry, part of the 101st Airborne Division (Airmobile), in the Republic of Vietnam as a rifle platoon leader, recon platoon leader, company executive officer, and company commander.

Hill's other key assignments include Company Commander, 3d Ranger Company, Fort Benning and Commander, Company A, 2d Squadron, 7th Cavalry, Fort Hood; Battalion Operations Officer and Battalion Commander, 1–35th Infantry, Schofield Barracks; Staff Officer, Strategy, Plans and Policy Directorate, Office of the Deputy Chief of Staff, HQDA; Aide-de-Camp to the Chief of Staff of the Army, and Special Project Officer for the Chief of Staff of the Army. General Hill commanded the "Always First" Brigade, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) from August 1989 through July 1991, to include service in Southwest Asia during Operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm. General Hill served as Chief of Staff of the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) from August 1991 through October 1992. General Hill then served as the Assistant Deputy Director for Politico-Military Affairs on the Joint Staff from October 1992 to July 1994. In July 1994, he assumed duties as the Assistant Division Commander (Support), 25th Infantry Division (Light) to include service in Haiti as the Deputy Commanding General, Multinational Force and Deputy Commander, United States Forces, Haiti, United Nations Mission, Haiti. He served as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Operations, United States Army Forces Command, from June 1995 to June 1997. He became Commanding General, 25th Infantry Division (Light) in June 1997, and served in that position until he was named Commanding General, I Corps and Fort Lewis, in September 1999. From 2002 until his retirement, Hill was the Commanding General of the United States Southern Command [SOUTHCOM], overseeing all US military forces in Central and South America

Awards and decorations[]

Combat Infantryman Badge

Basic Parachutist Badge

Air Assault Badge

Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge

Army Staff Identification Badge

101st Airborne Division Shoulder Sleeve Insignia – Former Wartime Service

327th Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia

Unidentified foreign parachutist badge

? Overseas Service Bars

Army Distinguished Service Medal

Silver Star with two oak leaf clusters

Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster

Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters

Bronze Star with "V" device and two oak leaf clusters

Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster

Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters

Air Medal with bronze award numeral 2

Army Commendation Medal with V device and silver oak leaf cluster

Joint Meritorious Unit Award

Valorous Unit Award with oak leaf cluster

Superior Unit Award

National Defense Service Medal with two bronze service stars

Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with one service star

Vietnam Service Medal with four service stars

Southwest Asia Service Medal with three service stars

Humanitarian Service Medal

Army Service Ribbon

Army Overseas Service Ribbon with bronze award numeral 2

Vietnam Gallantry Cross Unit Citation

Vietnam Civil Actions Medal Unit Citation

Vietnam Campaign Medal

Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)

Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)

Post-military[]

Hill joined the Board of Trustees for Fraunhofer USA, a bio-technology firm, in 2006.^[2] He is also the founder of the J.T. Hill Group, a consulting firm in Coral Gables, Florida.^[3] In addition, he an advisor to and on the board of , a Texas-based security firm, and a consultant to Northrop Grumman and the . He remains involved in Latin American affairs, writing a regular column for the Colombian magazine , and serving on the board of , a non-profit organization for providing medical treatment to landmine victims in Colombia. In Coral Gables he serves on the city's Emergency Management Committee, and he is a national advisor to The Military Child Education Coalition.^[3]

References[]

 This article incorporates public domain material from the United States Government document: "[2]".

External links[]

• Appearances on C-SPAN