William E. Hill

2nd Lt. William E. Hill (July 31, 1923 - November 22, 1943) from Narragansett, RI, was a member of the famed group of World War II-era African-Americans known as the Tuskegee Airmen. He was a recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal in 2007 (Posthumously).[1] Hill died in 1943 in a parachuting accident over Lake Huron. He is listed in the Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame in the category of Special recognition.[2]

Second lieutenant

William E. Hill
William E. Hill (1943)
Birth nameWilliam Edward Hill
Born(1923-07-31)July 31, 1923
Tappahannock, Essex County, Virginia,
DiedNovember 22, 1943(1943-11-22) (aged 20)
Lake Huron, Michigan
Buried
Riverside Cemetery in South Kingstown, Washington, Rhode Island
(41.442254°N 71.499316°E / 41.442254; 71.499316)
Allegiance United States
Service/branchUnited States Army Air Force
Years of service1942-1945
RankSecond lieutenant
Unit
Awards
Relations
Parents, William and Fannie, Sister Gloria

Military service

World War II
Bell P-39Q similar to the one Hill was flying in 1943[N 1]

On August 30, 1943 Hill was a graduate of the Tuskegee flight program. He was the first black pilot from Rhode Island. He was assigned to the 302nd Fighter Squadron, 332nd Fighter Group. Shortly after graduation Hill was assigned to Oscada MI, for additional training. His P-39Q Airacobra burst into flames over Lake Huron and Hill attempted to parachute: his parachute covered him in the lake and his body was never found.[N 2] Even though his body was not recovered, his parents purchased a headstone and placed in Riverside Cemetery in South Kingstown, Washington, Rhode Island.[4]

Awards
  • Congressional Gold Medal (2007)[1]

Education

Personal life

He was born in Tappahannock, Virginia and his parents were William and Fannie Esther (Née Monroe). He had one sister named Gloria. At an early age the family moved to Narragansett, Washington County, Rhode Island. He went to South Kingstown High School, in Rhode Island, and graduated in 1941.[4]

See also

Further reading
  • The Tuskegee Airmen: An Illustrated History, 1939-1949[5]
  • Gunston, Bill. Aircraft of World War 2. London: Octopus Books Limited, 1980. ISBN 0-7064-1287-7.

References
  1. Rangel, Charles B. (April 11, 2006). "Tuskegee Airmen Gold Medal Signed Into Law". Press Release. United States House of Representatives. Retrieved November 26, 2008.
  2. "2/LT William E. Hill". riahof.org. RI Aviation Hall of Fame. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  3. Gunston 1980, p. 22.
  4. "2nd Lt. William E. Hill". CAF Rise Above. CAF Rise Above. Retrieved August 11, 2020.
  5. Caver, Joseph; Ennels, Jerome A.; Haulman, Daniel Lee (2011). The Tuskegee Airmen: An Illustrated History, 1939-1949. Montgomery: New South Books. p. 394. ISBN 978-1588382443. Retrieved February 6, 2020.

Notes
  1. The Bell P-39 Airacobra was one of the principal American fighter aircraft in service when the United States entered World War II.[3]
  2. “On the morning of 22 November 1943 at approximately 0900 Eastern War Time, 2nd Lt William Edward Hill of the 302nd Fighter Squadron, flying on a (5) ship aerial gunnery mission, was seen to parachute into Lake Huron after his plane caught fire three (3) to five (5) miles east of Harrisville, Mich., fourteen miles north of Oscoda, Mich. Lt. Hill was not seen to clear himself of his parachute before the plane struck the water and the parachute sank about one minute after landing.”[2]
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