Here is a picture of Mr. Hill with Manuel in uniform and Henry on his Left. Lee Hill was a Warrant officer in the navy at one time. He talked Manuel and Henry [Magdaleno] into joining in 1938. This picture was taken in 1943, when they were on leave.
They were on board the USS Tennessee when Pearl Harbor was attacked. They were tied up right in front of the Arizona, and saw it go down. Their position was way up high in the ship, directing fire. Henry said as they were scrambling up the ladder, Manuel saw that the corresponding ladder on the Battlship next to them was blown away. He said to Henry, "How will we get down if they do that to us?" Henry Said he told him "Don't worry, if that happens we'll be dead anyway". Their ship sustained a lot of damage but they were able to Steam to Bremerton Washington to be repaired and refitted with more modern electronics.
Mr. Hill and his wife Maude were always very nice to Manuel and Henry as they were growing up. They had a Daughter name Stephanie who was a talented artist. She did designs on ceramics and sold them through department stores. They had a Kiln at their house. Stephanie was the one who got Manuel interested in building the shed at the Berendo house to hold his kiln and supplies. He also used to make Plaster molds for Stephanie to use for her production. The Hill's always had beautiful lush landscaping on their property. It used to remind me of a nature park. I remember that they had a house in the back also. It was right on the alley. Remember the alley that dead ended right on Imperial, with a steep drop off? It Took a long time to get up the courage to ride a bike down that steep drop.
- A. Magdaleno
