My Grandfather, E. Kalin Hill, passed away in the early hours of Friday September 5, 2008. He was a veteran of World War II and was 84 years old. He is one of my greatest heros for many reasons, and he was someone that our family will miss greatly. He is survived by my grandmother, and they were married for over 62 years.
Pappy was born the 8th of 19 children in the Hill family. He was drafted for service in WWII, and while in Europe he trained with and was accepted into the First Special Service Force - one of the most dangerous and capable group of soldiers that fought in WWII. They were the precursors of the Green Berets and have been memorialized in books and movies.
Pappy, as he was known to us, was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this Spring and he knew that it would kill him. He was incredibly brave, and he told us that he was ready to go and had no regrets. He was able to move through the end of his life on his own terms at home. Last week I had a feeling that I had to get home soon, and on Wednesday I made a reservation to fly home on Thursday. I arrived at Grandma and Pappy's home at around 1am on Friday morning. Pappy had seemingly waited for me, though he hadn't talked with anyone since Tuesday, my mother and Grandma had told him that I was coming home to see him.
As I sat in the jet in early July I talked with Pappy, as I wasn't sure that I was going to get a chance to see him again. He told me not to worry about him, that he would be around when I got home. We had gone home to visit him at the end of May and I really didn't think that I would see him again. Fortunately he kept his word, and about 30-minutes after I arrived last week Pappy passed away. I only hope that Pappy didn't suffer waiting for me to arrive. My sisters and I all spoke at his funeral, and I was barely able to make it through my comments. Below are the words that I spoke to remember him:
My Grandfather - Emil Kalin Hill, or Pappy as he was affectionately known to us, was a hero of our country and a hero to our family. He came from a very big family – one of 19 Hill children. With a family that big, you’d have to do something pretty special to stand out and it’s evident that he did based on the loss that his brothers and sisters are enduring now and the amount of love that they had for him. He was a great man, and it is how he handled himself over his lifetime that made him so. Much of what made me and others around him love and respect Pappy so much came not from the stories that I’m going to talk about now, but because of the way he carried himself and how he led by example throughout the community. Much of what you’re going to hear was recounted to our family only a few months ago when Pappy found out he had cancer. He told us that he was ready to go and be with the Lord and that he had fought enough in his life. He was comfortable with everything that had happened in his life and had no regrets.
Some said that he was a lucky man, and I don’t think that I would disagree. I would also add, though, that Pappy would have agreed with the statement that the harder you work, the luckier you get – and Pappy did work hard. He was lucky enough to have married my Grandma over 62 years ago and he worked hard to support my mom and Grandma throughout his life as a husband and father. As a young man, his name came up in the draft for WWII and he served his country with pride. He was never one to shirk responsibility, and he served his country like many others of his generation – the Greatest Generation.
As a soldier, he didn’t stick with the standard stuff, though, and he volunteered for one of the most intense and dangerous military units that the world had ever seen. The First Special Service Force was a joint US and Canadian force that fought throughout the European theater, and its members were known to be rough, tough, proficient, fiercely loyal and dedicated soldiers. They were some of the first covert special operations troops in modern history and they have been portrayed in books and movies and were the forerunners of the Green Berets. This group had special weapons made for them, including the V42 fighting knife, which Pappy kept proudly as a reminder of his service.
Pappy never talked much about the war for a very long time…as war is not something that one wants to remember much – especially from the kinds of fighting that he was involved with. In 1984, on the 40th anniversary of WWII, he and Grandma went to visit places in Europe that he had fought during a WWII anniversary tour. They saw several countries that he had helped liberate including Italy and France. They were welcomed as the heroes they were, and many towns have monuments to the heroism that Pappy and others displayed in helping to defeat our collective enemies. The president of Italy and the Pope were among those who expressed their thanks to Pappy and the other men of the force who were there on that trip.
When we found out that Pappy had cancer this Spring, he finally told us a lot about his time in the service including some of his better memories of his time in the Service. He told us of the training that he endured and the difficult test that he had to pass in order to join the FSSF. I will always remember the poster that hangs in the basement – it is a picture of a Black Devil, as they were known.
On a lighter note, Pappy talked about getting some extra days off during combat…kind of by mistake. Though he’s always been a Christian, his name – Emil Kalin Hill has occasionally been confused as being a Jewish name. One of his commanding officers assumed that Pappy was Jewish, and so on the major Jewish holidays Pappy and one of his fellow soldiers who was actually Jewish would get the day off and when near a synagogue Pappy would drop off his buddy to do his praying while Pappy grabbed a beer at the local bar. He might have been a good soldier and someone who risked himself for others – but we wasn’t a dummy. The commanding officer never asked him if he was Jewish…and he wasn’t going to give up a day of R&R and a beer if he didn’t need to. I would say that this might be the first version of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”…that allowed Pappy a slightly easier passage through a tough time.
After the war, Pappy worked as a trainer for the US Army boxing team. He still has his order signed by General Weed detailing his position with the team. When he spoke of this time, his eye’s really twinkled.
After WWII officially ended, Pappy had to wait a little while to come home. Then finally in December of 1945 Pappy decided that he had waited long enough and it was time to come home. He survived the 11 day journey by boat back to the US – something that he thought he’d never do as he got so sick on the way over that he said he wouldn’t have minded if his boat ride to Europe was the last that he ever took – fortunately for all of us he was brave enough to sail home though it made him sick as a dog. Once back on US soil, he took trains, buses, and finally make his way back home late on Christmas eve to see my mom. He even managed to get a haircut before getting to the house to see mom and Grandma…as Pappy always liked to look nice, no matter the circumstances.
Pappy went to work after he got back to the US, and eventually ended up working for the paper mill like lots of folks here in Lock Haven. When Pappy got word that the mill was shutting down, he was offered a position with Penn DOT. The problem was that the position required a high school diploma or GED. Since he never got to graduate from high school because of work and the war, Pappy had to get his GED to get the job. He was one of the oldest people to earn his GED, and also had one of the highest scores on the test - providing again an example of stepping up to responsibility and doing what needed to get done. He worked for Penn DOT and retired when I was young. He and Grandma always took us grandkids up to their trailer near Cross Forks. For me, those weeks make up some of the best fun that I had as a kid: fishing, hiking, boating, swimming, and exploring the outdoor world. Pappy taught me a lot about fishing, hunting, and the outdoors around Cross Forks and Bush Dam. I never got a really good chance to say “thank you” for that Pappy – so I am now: Thank you!
Pappy’s Army company motto was – "The Worst is Yet to Come", but I’ve decided that I want to use something to pay tribute to him…and remember Pappy for all the good that he gave his family and friends. For me, the phrase that I’m going to use is “The Best is Yet to Come” and I know that for Pappy now and for all of us, this really in true. Pappy, we love you and will miss you. The Best is Yet to Come.
As a soldier, he didn’t stick with the standard stuff, though, and he volunteered for one of the most intense and dangerous military units that the world had ever seen. The First Special Service Force was a joint US and Canadian force that fought throughout the European theater, and its members were known to be rough, tough, proficient, fiercely loyal and dedicated soldiers. They were some of the first covert special operations troops in modern history and they have been portrayed in books and movies and were the forerunners of the Green Berets. This group had special weapons made for them, including the V42 fighting knife, which Pappy kept proudly as a reminder of his service.
Pappy never talked much about the war for a very long time…as war is not something that one wants to remember much – especially from the kinds of fighting that he was involved with. In 1984, on the 40th anniversary of WWII, he and Grandma went to visit places in Europe that he had fought during a WWII anniversary tour. They saw several countries that he had helped liberate including Italy and France. They were welcomed as the heroes they were, and many towns have monuments to the heroism that Pappy and others displayed in helping to defeat our collective enemies. The president of Italy and the Pope were among those who expressed their thanks to Pappy and the other men of the force who were there on that trip.
When we found out that Pappy had cancer this Spring, he finally told us a lot about his time in the service including some of his better memories of his time in the Service. He told us of the training that he endured and the difficult test that he had to pass in order to join the FSSF. I will always remember the poster that hangs in the basement – it is a picture of a Black Devil, as they were known.
On a lighter note, Pappy talked about getting some extra days off during combat…kind of by mistake. Though he’s always been a Christian, his name – Emil Kalin Hill has occasionally been confused as being a Jewish name. One of his commanding officers assumed that Pappy was Jewish, and so on the major Jewish holidays Pappy and one of his fellow soldiers who was actually Jewish would get the day off and when near a synagogue Pappy would drop off his buddy to do his praying while Pappy grabbed a beer at the local bar. He might have been a good soldier and someone who risked himself for others – but we wasn’t a dummy. The commanding officer never asked him if he was Jewish…and he wasn’t going to give up a day of R&R and a beer if he didn’t need to. I would say that this might be the first version of “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell”…that allowed Pappy a slightly easier passage through a tough time.
After the war, Pappy worked as a trainer for the US Army boxing team. He still has his order signed by General Weed detailing his position with the team. When he spoke of this time, his eye’s really twinkled.
After WWII officially ended, Pappy had to wait a little while to come home. Then finally in December of 1945 Pappy decided that he had waited long enough and it was time to come home. He survived the 11 day journey by boat back to the US – something that he thought he’d never do as he got so sick on the way over that he said he wouldn’t have minded if his boat ride to Europe was the last that he ever took – fortunately for all of us he was brave enough to sail home though it made him sick as a dog. Once back on US soil, he took trains, buses, and finally make his way back home late on Christmas eve to see my mom. He even managed to get a haircut before getting to the house to see mom and Grandma…as Pappy always liked to look nice, no matter the circumstances.
Pappy went to work after he got back to the US, and eventually ended up working for the paper mill like lots of folks here in Lock Haven. When Pappy got word that the mill was shutting down, he was offered a position with Penn DOT. The problem was that the position required a high school diploma or GED. Since he never got to graduate from high school because of work and the war, Pappy had to get his GED to get the job. He was one of the oldest people to earn his GED, and also had one of the highest scores on the test - providing again an example of stepping up to responsibility and doing what needed to get done. He worked for Penn DOT and retired when I was young. He and Grandma always took us grandkids up to their trailer near Cross Forks. For me, those weeks make up some of the best fun that I had as a kid: fishing, hiking, boating, swimming, and exploring the outdoor world. Pappy taught me a lot about fishing, hunting, and the outdoors around Cross Forks and Bush Dam. I never got a really good chance to say “thank you” for that Pappy – so I am now: Thank you!
Pappy’s Army company motto was – "The Worst is Yet to Come", but I’ve decided that I want to use something to pay tribute to him…and remember Pappy for all the good that he gave his family and friends. For me, the phrase that I’m going to use is “The Best is Yet to Come” and I know that for Pappy now and for all of us, this really in true. Pappy, we love you and will miss you. The Best is Yet to Come.
