George Preston "G.P." Hill Jr., the third child and second son of Preston and Pearl Edwards Hill, was born Oct. 15, 1926, in Kenly, North Carolina.
G.P. joined the Coast Guard prior to WWII. When the war was over he stayed in Portsmouth, Virginia. He went to work in the Colonial Grocery Store as a produce clerk.
Margaret Pope worked in the drug store next door.
They met, fell in love, and married in Portsmouth. Marriage was expensive and George decided there was security for his wife if he joined the Army.
Between the Coast Guard and Army, he was in the service for 28 years. He was in WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, and Bay of Pigs. He won the Bronze Star for Valor in Vietnam.
George and Margaret had three children, Georgia Sandra, Vickie Sue, and Joseph Preston "Joe."
Sandra, born on Oct. 2, 1948, married Eric Paul Boyd on May 2, 1970. They have a daughter Paula Denise Boyd. She married Grant Matthew Paul on Aug. 25, 2001.
Vickie, born in 1951, married Robert Glenn Joyner on June 21, 1969.
Joe, born in 1959, married Linda Eloise Sutton on Aug. 9, 1980.
George died April 14, 1988, in the VA medical center in Durham, North Carolina. He is buried in the Greenwood Cemetery in Greenville, North Carolina.
Courtesy Stancil Family Reunion Archive
George Preston Hill served in the Army for 28 years.
George Preston Hill was in the Coast Guard before he married Margaret Lucille Pope. He was in the Coast Guard for four years, from 1942 to 1946.
His rank in the Coast Guard is unknown. He joined the Army in 1947 and retired with 28 years in the Service. He retired June 1972.
He took part in the Korean War and two tours of Vietnam. He also participated in the testing of the "H" bomb.
His rank was CW2 and was a tug boat pilot and also was licensed harbor pilot. His favorite duty station was in Panama. Dad, Mom and Joe was stationed in Okinawa for 15 months when George had his heart attack and was sent home to the States for open heart surgery.
George Preston Hill received several medals while in the service. Some include the Army Commendation Medal with "V" device and the Bronze Star with "V."
Source: Joseph Preston Hill, July 11, 2008
Saigon River's 'Huck Finns' Crew City Mans Army Tug
WO George P. Hill of Newport News and his crew of seven aboard the Army tugboat "Li'L Grunt" are now known as the Saigon River.
Hill and his crew "work, eat and sleep" on the 65-foot tugboat 24-hour a day.
Affectionately named by the men of the 5th Transportation Heavy Boat Company, "Li'L Grunt" boasts a 600-horsepower engine which keeps her traveling an average of 2,250 nautical miles a month.
She is one of 21 tug boats that operate from the ammunition complex at Cat Lai to the crowded harbor of Saigon and through the perilous waterways the Rung Sat to Vung Tau.
In addition to booking and un-docking deep draft vessels and working the ammunition off-loading complex from Cat Lai to Cogido, the "Li'l Grunt" and her crew have a firefighting capability which they have used on numerous occasions.
In a recent rocket and mortar attack on Nha Be, the Viet Cong started an oil fire that raged out of control in the dock area where hundreds of oil drums were stockpiled.
The "Li'l Grunt" rushed to the scene and along with other tugs working in the area brought her water hoses to bear on the flaming dock. Several crewmen were overcome by smoke and heat.
For their actions at Nha Be, the crew of the "Li'l Grunt" was recommended for the Army Commendation Medal.
The Viet Cong isn't the only problem Hill and his crew face on the waterways.
“Another problem we have is with the small Vietnamese craft in Saigon harbor," he said. "Sometimes it is difficult to keep from ramming into them."
Major James D. Lester of Virginia Beach, chief of the marine services division, said, "The Saigon River is one of the most dangerous rivers in the world. The tide comes in and out at 10 knots, and when it joins forces with the wind, the rain and the ever-shifting sandbars, we have a real problem."
On the other hand, the skippers of the tugs know their jobs and do them well, according to Major Lester. "Many of them come to us with no experience in tug handling at all," he said. "In Vietnam they learn in a hurry."
Spec. 4 Bill Potts, the cook aboard "Li'l Grunt," was asked about life on the Saigon River. "We all have a bit of Huckleberry Finn spirit in us," he said "Sure, there are problems and dangers involved in this type of work, but more than enough good things make up for the bad. I wouldn't trade this job for any other in Vietnam."