| William P. T. Hill | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 22, 1895 Vinita, Oklahoma |
| Died | December 6, 1965 (aged 70) Bethesda Naval Hospital |
| Allegiance | United States of America |
| Service/branch | United States Marine Corps |
| Years of service | 1917–1955 |
| Rank | Major General |
| Unit | Marine Corps Headquarters |
| Commands held | Camp Lejeune |
| Awards | Distinguished Service Medal |
William Pendleton Thompson Hill (22 February 1895–6 December 1965) was a United States Marine Corps major general who served as Quartermaster General of the Marine Corps from 1944 to 1955.
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Hill was born in Vinta, Oklahoma, and attended Kemper Military School. He later graduated from Western Military Academy in Alton, Illinois. After his graduation from the University of Oklahoma, he entered active duty as a second lieutenant in the Marine Corps on 12 July 1917.[1]
After attending flight school at the Naval Coastal Air Station in Cape May, New Jersey, Hill served as one of the Marine Corps' first aviators. In 1918, he served as a pilot with the 1st Marine Aeronautic Company, flying seaplane patrols in the Azores.[2]
In 1920, he was assigned as a member of the Naval Alaskan Coal Commission, where he served as a geologist during the survey of Alaskan coal fields.[1] As a Captain, he commanded a company assigned to the American Legation in Peking, China. While there, he participated in Doctor Roy Chapman Andrews' third expedition to the Gobi Desert in Mongolia, as the expedition topographer.[3]
In 1933, he was posted overseas to Haiti, where he served as the Quartermaster and Paymaster Director for the Garde d'Haiti.[1]
During World War II, he was initially assigned as the liaison officer during the construction of Camp Lejeune, and briefly served as Camp Commander during 1941. For his performance at Camp Lejeune, he was awarded the Distinguished Service Medal.
In 1943, he was reassigned to Marine Corps headquarters for duty in the Quartermaster Department, becoming Quartermaster General on 1 February 1944, a position he held until his retirement in 1955. Victor Krulak, in First to Fight, described Hill as the "classic representative of the Quartermaster's tradition of fierce frugality....thrift was his watchword...[4]
The W.P.T. Hill Award was established in 1985 to improve food service operation and recognize the best messes in the Marine Corps. Competitors are judged on areas such as operations, sanitation, taste and quality of food.[5]