Military Wiki
James T. Hill
General James T. Hill
Born 8 October 1946(1946-10-08) (age 79)
Place of birth Dayton, Ohio, U.S.[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
Operation Uphold Democracy
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 8 October 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. In that role he was responsible for requesting maximally permissive "enhanced interrogation" policies that led to torture in the Guantanamo Bay detention camp.[2]

Awards and decorations[]

Combat Infantry Badge Combat Infantryman Badge
United States Air Force Parachutist Badge Basic Parachutist Badge
AirAssault Air Assault Badge
Joint Chiefs of Staff seal Joint Chiefs of Staff Identification Badge
United States Army Staff Identification Badge Army Staff Identification Badge
US 101st Airborne Division patch  101st Airborne Division Shoulder Sleeve Insignia – Former Wartime Service
327InfRegtDUI 327th Infantry Regiment Distinctive Unit Insignia
No free image  Unidentified foreign parachutist badge
ASU overseas service bar ? Overseas Service Bars
Army Distinguished Service Medal
Bronze oakleaf-3dBronze oakleaf-3d Silver Star with two oak leaf clusters
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Defense Superior Service Medal with oak leaf cluster
Bronze oakleaf-3dBronze oakleaf-3dBronze oakleaf-3d Legion of Merit with three oak leaf clusters
"V" device, brassBronze oakleaf-3dBronze oakleaf-3d Bronze Star with "V" device and two oak leaf clusters
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster
Bronze oakleaf-3dBronze oakleaf-3dBronze oakleaf-3d Meritorious Service Medal with three oak leaf clusters
Award numeral 2 Air Medal with bronze award numeral 2
"V" device, brassSilver oakleaf-3d Army Commendation Medal with V device and silver oak leaf cluster
Joint Meritorious Unit Award
Bronze oak leaf cluster
Valorous Unit Award with oak leaf cluster
Superior Unit Award
Bronze-service-star-3d-vectorBronze-service-star-3d-vector National Defense Service Medal with two bronze service stars
Bronze star
Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal with one service star
Bronze-service-star-3d-vectorBronze-service-star-3d-vectorBronze-service-star-3d-vectorBronze-service-star-3d-vector Vietnam Service Medal with four service stars
Southwest Asia Service Medal with three service stars
Humanitarian Service Medal
Army Service Ribbon
Award numeral 2 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) ribbon Kuwait Liberation Medal (Saudi Arabia)
Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait) ribbon Kuwait Liberation Medal (Kuwait)
Gold Medal for Distinguished Service (El Salvador) ribbon bar Gold Medal for Distinguished Service (El Salvador)[3]

Post-military[]

Hill joined the board of trustees for Fraunhofer USA, a bio-technology firm, in 2006.[4] He is also the founder of the J.T. Hill Group, a consulting firm in Coral Gables, Florida.[5] In addition, he an advisor to and on the board of The Protective Group, a Texas-based security firm, and a consultant to Northrop Grumman and the Center for Molecular Biology and Enterprise Technology Partners. He remains involved in Latin American affairs, writing a regular column for the Colombian magazine PODER, and serving on the board of United for Colombia, 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.[5]

References[]

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the United States Government.

External links[]

Military offices
Preceded by
Peter Pace
United States Southern Command
2002–2004
Succeeded by
Bantz J. Craddock


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