ITEMS LEFT AT THE WALL

Framed assemblage dedicated to U.S. Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CW2) Robert Oren Hill, Jr. and consisting of: a newspaper clipping, a color photographic print, & a handwritten note housed inside a decorative display frame. The newspaper clipping is an obituary for CW2 Hill, Jr. entitled, "Bucks County Copter Pilot Killed on Evacuation Flight", which describes CW2 Hill, Jr.'s death, "[...] while he piloted a medical evacuation helicopter near the DMZ in Quang Tri province [South Vietnam]" on September 27, 1970, while the photograph is an 'in-country' image captured in Vietnam which depicts CW2 Hill, Jr. posing next to his medevac helicopter. The handwritten note is from CW2 Hill Jr.'s brother "Bruce" and reads (in part), "You'll never know how much I miss you - we all do. / I salute you and I love you." The artifact assemblage was left at Panel W7 of The Wall by CW2 Hill, Jr.'s brother, Bruce Hill, in October 1986.

FRAMED ASSEMBLAGE DEDICATED TO U.S. ARMY CHIEF WARRANT OFFICER 2 (CW2) ROBERT OREN HILL, JR. THE ASSEMBLAGE IS COMPRISED OF A NEWSPAPER CLIPPING, A COLOR PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT, & A HANDWRITTEN NOTE HOUSED WITHIN A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED, BROWN VINYL, WOODEN, & CLEAR GLASS DISPLAY FRAME. THE WOODEN SUBSTRATE OF THE DISPLAY FRAME IS COVERED WITH A BROWN VINYL MATERIAL BEARING A DECORATIVE MOTIF EMBOSSED UPON THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE IN GOLD, WHILE THE REVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF THE DISPLAY FRAME EVINCES AN AFFIXED, TEXTURED BROWN VINYL COVERING AS WELL AS A BACKING BOARD WITH AN EASEL-STYLE DISPLAY STAND ATTACHED TO THE BACKING BOARD VIA A LENGTH OF BROWN, WOVEN COTTON FABRIC. AT THE INTERIOR OF THE DISPLAY FRAME, THE HANDWRITTEN NOTE IS COMPOSED IN BLUE INK AND BLOCK SCRIPT/ARABIC NUMERALS UPON A RECTANGULARLY SHAPED SHEET OF TEXTURED, UNLINED, LETTER-SIZED GRAY PAPER TO WHICH THE NEWSPAPER CLIPPING & PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT ARE AFFIXED VIA STRIPS OF CLEAR, ADHESIVE SCOTCH TAPE. THE NEWSPAPER CLIPPING IS HOUSED AT THE UPPER, PROPER RIGHT-HAND CORNER OF THE DISPLAY FRAME AND REPRESENTS AN OBITUARY FOR CW2 HILL, JR. ENTITLED, "BUCKS COUNTY COPTER PILOT KILLED ON EVACUATION FLIGHT". THE OBITUARY NOTES THAT CW2 HILL, JR., "[...] WAS KILLED WHILE HE PILOTED A MEDICAL EVACUATION HELICOPTER NEAR THE DMZ IN QUANG TRI PROVINCE" IN SOUTH VIETNAM ON SEPTEMBER 27, 1970. THE ARTICLE GOES ON TO REFERENCE CW2 HILL, JR.'S FATHER'S PRIOR MILITARY SERVICE IN THE ARMY AIR CORPS DURING WORLD WAR II, AS WELL AS HIS BROTHER'S CONTEMPORANEOUS SERVICE WITH THE U.S. ARMY GREEN BERETS IN SOUTH VIETNAM, AND QUOTES HIS PARENTS AS SAYING THAT, "WE'RE PROUD THAT OUR SON GOT A CHANCE TO SERVE OUR COUNTRY AND OUR FLAG. / WE'RE JUST SORRY HE HAD TO GIVE HIS LIFE." THE COLOR PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT (LANDSCAPE ORIENTATION) IS HOUSED AT THE UPPER, PROPER LEFT-HAND CORNER OF THE DISPLAY FRAME; PARTIALLY OBSCURING THE NEWSPAPER CLIPPING. THE IMAGE AT THE OBVERSE OBJECT SURFACE OF THE PHOTOGRAPHIC PRINT IN AN 'IN-COUNTRY' IMAGE CAPTURED IN VIETNAM WHICH DEPICTS CW2 HILL, JR. DRESSED IN MILITARY ISSUE FIELD ATTIRE (E.G. OD GREEN T-SHIRT, OG-107 TROPICAL COMBAT TROUSERS, ETC.) WHILE POSED FACING THE CAMERA AND STANDING TO THE PROPER LEFT-HAND SIDE OF A BELL UH-1 IROQUOIS "HUEY" MEDEVAC HELICOPTER WITH HIS RIGHT HAND RESTING UPON THE PILOT'S DOOR OF THE AIRCRAFT AND HIS LEFT HAND RESTING UPON HIS LEFT HIP. THE AIRCRAFT BEARS VISIBLE BADGING AS A MEDEVAC HELICOPTER (I.E. RED CROSS WITHIN A WHITE SQUARE UPON THE PORT SIDE OF THE FUSELAGE) AS WELL AS THE BRANCH OF SERVICE DESIGNATION, "UNITED STATES ARMY" IN BLACK, BLOCK SCRIPT ALONG THE TAIL, AND IS PARKED UPON A TEMPORARY LANDING PAD FLANKED BY SANDBAGS IN A LARGE, OPEN FIELD. THE VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL (VVM) WALL LOCATION INFORMATION, "PANEL 7W / LINE # 95" APPEARS AT THE UPPER, PROPER LEFT-HAND CORNER OF THE HANDWRITTEN NOTE, WHILE THE NOTE ITSELF IS ADDRESSED, "TO MY WONDERFUL BROTHER" AND IS SIGNED, "BRUCE". IN CONTENT, CW2 HILL, JR.'S BROTHER BRUCE OPENS HIS NOTE BY ASSURING HIS BROTHER THAT HE HAS NOT BEEN FORGOTTEN AND NEVER WILL BE, AND STATES THAT, "I COME HERE OFTEN TO VISIT WITH YOU AND I CHERISH OUR MEETINGS IN VIETNAM." BRUCE THEN PROCEEDS TO RECOLLECT HIS YOUNGER BROTHER'S CONCERNS ABOUT BRUCE'S SAFETY IN VIETNAM, EXPRESSES THE WISH THAT THINGS COULD HAVE TURNED OUT DIFFERENTLY, AND CONCLUDES HIS NOTE WITH THE LINES, "YOU'LL NEVER KNOW HOW MUCH I MISS YOU - WE ALL DO. / I SALUTE YOU AND I LOVE YOU."

Text of the printed & handwritten inscriptions upon the newspaper clipping and note is transcribed in full, as follows: [Newspaper clipping, obverse object surface, printed inscriptions] "Bucks County Copter Pilot Killed on Evacuation Flight / A Bucks County soldier was killed while on a helicopter mission in South Vietnam on Sept. 27, the Defense Depart-ment [sic] said yesterday. / Chief Warrant Officer Rob-ert [sic] O. Hill Jr., 22, was killed while he piloted a medical evacuation helicopter near the DMZ in Quang Tri province. / W-O Hill's parents, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hill, Sr., of 159 Stratford drive, Churchville, said "We're proud that our son got a chance to serve our country and our flag. / We're just sorry he had to give his life." / Hill's father served in the Army Air Corps during World War II, and his older brother, Bruce, was a Green Beret in South Vietnam, returning in September. [remaining text of article obscured by photographic print]" / [Note, obverse object surface, handwritten inscriptions] "Panel 7W / Line # 95 / To My Wonderful Brother, / I want you to know I haven't forgotten you and that I never will. / I come here often to visit with you and I cherish our meetings in Vietnam. / You were always worried about me. / God how I wish things could be different. / You'll never know how much I miss you - we all do. / I salute you and I love you. / Bruce"

Item Weight: 450.0g
Item Length: 30.0cm
Item Width: 25.0cm
Item Depth: 1.3cm (Frame depth)