Drexel 'Jack' Hite, 94

LONG BEACH, CALIF. - Drexel "Jack" Hite, died peacefully on Saturday, Sept. 6, 2008, in Pacific Palm Healthcare in Long Beach, Calif. He was 94. Jack was born in Huntington, W. Va. and grew up in Cincinnati, Ohio. He joined the Army Air Corp during World War II and proudly served under the command of Jimmy Doolittle as his First Sergeant. His campaigns included the European and African theaters. He was awarded several prestigious medals including the Purple Heart. He received them shortly before his death because he had refused them when they were first awarded during the war. His comment at the time was "I have a war to fight." Jack was the very first of three troops stationed at Dover Air Force Base in Dover in 1941. He was sent to set up and operate a teletype on an empty tract in an old two-story farmhouse. Jack recently returned to the base in 2003 to a hero's welcome, where he was met by members of the press, given a tour of the museum and was presented a wing coin by the 436th Airlift Wing Vice Commander. During his 1941 assignment in Dover, he met Dorothy Willis on a blind date on April Fool's Day, where he asked her to marry him. She waited for him and shortly after his return from the war they married and eventually moved to Long Beach in 1951. Jack made his living as a carpenter and in retirement turned his talent into a hobby in his shop at his home in Long Beach. He gifted many of his works to family and friends. Jack was a member of the Masons where he received the prestigious honor of becoming a Master Mason. He was also a member of the Scottish Rite and Shriner organizations for many years. He and wife Dot, spent many afternoons listening to 40's music and dancing in their home. He was quick witted with stories and jokes about his childhood on a farm, his pre-World War II nightclub, or a joke befitting the occasion. Jack is survived by his devoted wife of 64 years, Dot; and his three children, Debbie, Gary, and Karen. He is also survived by his many grandchildren, their spouses and great grandchildren. Services were held privately in California.