Army Korean War Dixmoor, IL Flight date: 08/24/22
By Frank Hauenschild, Honor Flight Chicago Veteran Interview Volunteer
Artie Hill, Jr. grew up on the southside of Chicago. His father, Artie, Sr. was a Pullman porter and his mother Rena, was a cook. When Artie graduated grammar school, his mother, Rena, had grown tired of Chicago and went to Los Angeles to fulfill her dream of expanding her culinary skills to become a chef. Artie, being the youngest, accompanied his mother to Los Angeles.
While attending high school in Los Angeles for three years, Artie convinced his mother, Rena, to allow him to return home to Chicago. Returning to his father’s home, Artie was determined that he would be better off getting a job and striking out on his own. He obtained employment with an art supply distributor, married his grade school sweetheart,Valjean, and lived in their own apartment; life was looking good for Artie. However, the U.S. Army decided to alter his course of life.
Artie received his draft notice and was ordered to report to the recruiting center in downtown Chicago. Leaving Valjean, who was now pregnant with their first child, he reported as ordered and boarded a bus for Fort Riley, Kansas. Artie completed his 8 weeks of Basic Training and was deployed overseas to Babenhausen Kaserne, Germany.
Upon arriving at Babenhausen, Artie was assigned to the 18th Field Artillery Regiment. His first assignment with the 18th was being a cook. While not overly excited to be a cook, Artie was not overly excited on being trained with the active Field Artillery units either. During the early months at Babenhausen, Artie learned about competitive games in which different divisions of the Armed Forces stationed in Germany would compete against each other.
Artie explained that in the early 1950’s, the Korean War was taking place, “however, the United States maintained a large occupation zone in Germany, along with zones which included Great Britain and France.” With the large presence of U.S. forces, amateur sports began to flourish in post-war Germany. Artie, being a larger man and being in good physical shape with some high school sports behind him, inquired about some of the sports teams that the 18th Field Artillery had in place.
Artie learned that the 18th Field Artillery traveling baseball team was getting ready for the season. Applying for the team, Artie was chosen and a Temporary Duty Assignment was ordered for Artie. Leaving his cook duties behind him, at least for the baseball season, he was re-barracked with the 18th Field Artillery baseball team. “It was fun and something I would never imagine that I would be doing in the Army” explained Artie. They would train together, eat together and room together. When the baseball season arrived, the team would compete in games on base or they would travel to other bases in Germany to play baseball. Artie’s main position on the team was pitcher and he related that they were very competitive.
Artie remarked that when they traveled, they could see the rebuilding of Germany. “The population of Germany was rebuilding from the ground up following the devastation of WWII. From farming to industry, we could witness the endeavors that the German citizenry were making to rebuild their country and their economy.” Artie commented that while the games were mainly for the Armed Forces personnel, “Often the people of Germany would come out and watch the games!”
“I liked Berlin the best; a new and modern city was being built and the people were extremely kind and courteous,” Artie said with a smile. He then explained he only went there twice during his sports years in Germany and wished he could have gone there at least one more time while he was overseas.
Completing baseball season, Artie was temporarily assigned to the Special Police. The Special Police duty assignment was a typical duty assignment for the athletes during the off-season, which in Artie’s case, was before football training began in the fall. During this time, Artie took advantage of his down time to complete his high school graduation requirements and received his diploma. “They made it so easy to be further educated, I even completed my college Associates Degree while in Germany.”
Football season training began and Artie returned to the athlete’s barracks in time to start training. Again, being a larger and quicker person on the team, Artie trained for the position of running back. His training was halted when he got tackled and sustained a broken leg. “I was in a cast for more than six weeks and I knew I wasn’t going to be back in time to finish the season.” During his recovery, as he could not stay with the team, Artie was sent back to being a cook for the 18th Field Artillery. “I was pretty bored as I still couldn’t do much while I was still healing from the injury.” During that time, I was preparing menus and just doing busy work,” Artie explained.
While Artie was recovering, he was informed that it was time for him to be reassigned for Artillery training where he knew he would not be able to play sports any longer while overseas. “I told them NO, but not directly to an officer, I actually told myself no as I loved playing sports and I had to figure out another way to be an active sports athlete for the Army” Artie related. The timing was perfect – it was time for boxing season as football was winding up between the forces.
Doing a little amateur boxing in Chicago before being drafted, he applied, and was accepted on the boxing team. Weighing in at 200 plus pounds, Artie trained and competed in the heavyweight division for the team. He explained that the boxing team had multiple boxers for each weight division. The members of each weight division would train together and then the team coach would select the fighter for each match. “We would again travel to various bases throughout Germany, often times by bus and other times by train.” Artie explained that while on certain trips, their trains would have to go through Russian occupied zones to get to the next boxing match. “We could only travel through the Russian zones at night by train. The train never stopped and the window shades had to be closed the whole time we were in the Russian zone.” Artie commented.
After 17 months in Germany, Artie received his orders returning him home to be discharged. “I was ready to go home. I was ready to be back with my wife, Valjean, and to see my baby daughter, Michelle, for the first time.” Being discharged at Ft. Sheridan, Artie went home. “It was great to be home and to see Michelle! Valjean was pregnant when I reported for duty and Michelle was born while I was in Germany.” Artie commented that it wasn’t like today with the internet and cell phones, “it was mail calls and photographs back then.”
Returning home, Artie was employed by the U.S. Postal Service and worked as a clerk on a railroad train mail call. He would travel throughout the Midwest, being put up for the night after a mail run, and then returning the next day. Artie commented that it was a good job and paid well and if the run would only be for six hours, “we always got paid for the full eight-hour day!” Eventually with other means of delivering mail, the rail postal service ended in 1962 for Artie.
Leaving the rail service, Artie stayed with the postal service and worked as a mail sorter in the downtown Chicago Post Office. Learning that the Chicago Board of Education was hiring, Artie applied for the position of stationary engineer with the Board and was hired. Being assigned to Gladstone Elementary School, Artie spent his 35-year career at Gladstone until his retirement in 1996.
Artie did not return to playing football or boxing upon returning home from Germany, however he did remain active in sports and played hardball in his younger years and continued with softball leagues until he was 55 years old.
Artie and Valjean, who passed away about three years ago, raised four children in their home in Dixmoor, Illinois. Artie today remains at his home in Dixmoor and enjoys his 11 grandchildren, 27 great-grandchildren and his two new great-great grandchildren.
Thank you PFC Artie Hill, Jr. for your dedicated service to our country. Enjoy your well-deserved Honor Flight with your fellow veterans!