This story originally appeared in Town&Gown magazine’s November 2024 Salute to Veterans.
When Walter Hill was wounded in his shoulder and foot while fighting in Italy during World War II, he likely wondered if he would ever see his home country again. He probably never dreamed that not only would he survive and ultimately earn a Purple Heart, but that his son would follow him into the military, and then his grandson, and then his great-grandson. Walter saw all but his great-grandson serve before passing away in 2001.
Back in 1945, Walter returned to the U.S. after World War II, and he and his wife had their son Larry in 1946, which meant that Larry was turning 18 as the Vietnam War was dominating the news.
Larry says he decided to enlist before being drafted. “I joined the Navy Reserves in October 1965 because I figured that I would be on a ship instead of in Vietnam,” he says.
Instead, he was placed with a mobile construction battalion and immediately sent to Vietnam for nine months. “I was there during the Tet Offensive and was on the ground with helicopters flying over our heads. It was a little hairy,” he says. “The only boat I was ever on in the Navy was drydocked in Philadelphia.”
As a Navy storekeeper, Larry was responsible for handling equipment in a warehouse that kept Navy Seabees supplied during construction projects. He says that his time in the military helped him learn how to get along with people who were different than him. “Everybody sort of pulled together,” he says.
After Vietnam, Larry returned to the States, where he and his wife, Roberta, had two sons, Larry Jr. and Chris. Larry worked at Bethlehem Steel for 30 years, retiring in 1995.
His son Chris was in college when he made the decision to join the military.
“I was in my first year of college when Iraq invaded Kuwait, and I felt like I needed to go do my part,” Chris says. “By the time I got through basic, the war was over.”
He was in the Army Reserves for eight years as an E-4 specialist, initially in the infantry before being reassigned to a maintenance unit. During his time in the maintenance unit, he worked on Humvees and M1A1 tanks.
“A big takeaway that I have from military service, especially basic training, was that you are much stronger—both mentally and physically—than you give yourself credit for. [The Army] really pushes you and you learn that. It was always a place you could go to when things got tough. You could remember that you already had gotten through worse.”
He says that not only was the Reserves a good preparation for his next career, as a police sergeant in State College for 23 years, but it was important for him to give back because of the many who had sacrificed for his country’s freedom and security.
“Prior generations did so much to secure our freedom and give us the opportunities that we have today. I just ended up being drawn to that position and felt like I could do some good, and protect people who need protecting. Not everyone can do that.”
Still, when his own son Payton was grown, Chris says that he didn’t encourage him to join the military, for one important reason. “I felt like it was important for him to decide that on his own.”
When Payton decided to enlist, Chris says he was proud. “I’m thankful for the opportunities—it’s opened some doors for him. Overall, I’m really proud.”
Payton is the Hill family’s most recent veteran. After serving in the Army for four years, he came back to State College in 2023 and works for the Centre County Sheriff’s Office.
“I had three generations of veterans before me,” Payton says about his decision to join the Army. “It’s something that I always wanted to do.”
As part of the 82nd Airborne Division, Payton trained at several military bases before being deployed to Afghanistan just as the military was evacuating from the country.
“We evacuated a lot of civilians,” he says. “It’s really hard to explain how it was if you weren’t there, seeing it.”
After Afghanistan, Payton finished his four years of service. He secured his current job with the sheriff’s office while he was on leave, and then came back to the Centre County area in 2023.
He says that his four years in the Army helped him to become more independent. “I truly became an adult at 18,” he says. “I was on my own, not near home. I had to do everything myself and not rely on my parents.”
As for carrying on the legacy of service, Payton says that, while it’s not for everyone, serving in the military equipped him for the future. “It’s a great life experience, especially for someone who is college-aged. It makes you feel good about yourself, and what you can do.” T&G
Cara Aungst is a freelance lifestyle and business journalist who writes about people, events and how Happy Valley ideas change the world.
