BRUCE HINTON

Bruce Hinton, (Colonel, USAF, Ret.) who piloted the first American F-86A Sabre jet to victory over a Russian MiG-15 in the Korean War died June 27, 2009, in San Antonio, TX. The battle is memorialized on the Smithsonian Institution's National Aviation and Space Exploration Wall of Honor, Washington, D.C. A History Channel documentary titled "Battle Stations: F-86 Sabre Jet Strike" features the famous dogfight and a conversation with Colonel Hinton. Born in Calistoga, CA, June 30, 1919, he graduated from Stockton High School in 1936 and Modesto Junior College in 1939 (General Engineering). He joined the Army Air Corps in 1940 and trained at Randolph Field, TX. The Colonel served continuously from 1940 to 1965. In Sept. of 1940 he married Viola Paya of Stockton, CA. They had two children, Mike and Sally. The marriage ended in divorce in Jan. of 1953. Colonel Hinton married Jenny Makepeace of Colorado Springs, CO, in Aug. of 1953. They have two daughters, Kimberly and Laurel. In 1954 Colonel Hinton was group commander of the newly formed Fighter Weapons School at Nellis Air Force Base in Las Vegas, NV. The Colonel retired in 1965 and worked for Hughes Aircraft Company's Missile Systems Group in CA until 1988. In 2005 he and his wife moved from Henderson, NV, to the Army Residence community in San Antonio, TX, where he died of pulmonary disease. He was 89. A memorial service was held on Aug. 4, 2009. He is survived by his wife Jenny; daughters, Sally Ennis, Kimberly Hinton and Laurel Hinton; four grandchildren-John, Colin and Ryan Ennis and Katie Kaufman; two great-grandchildren, Rianna and Maiya Ennis; a sister, Lillian Bennett (Richard), a brother, Bob Hinton, four nieces and a nephew.