Told from the humble and humorous perspective of the man who lived them, Rebel Devil is the true story of the life and times of a World War II fighter pilot and Southern Gentleman by the name of Clifford Haliday Hill Jr.
Growing up in the countryside of northern Georgia during The Great Depression, life was full of its own unique trials, tribulations, and adventures of the American Old South variety. From risky watermelon snatchin’ and barn stunts, to fully orchestrated practical joke operations and drunken farm animals, these formative years greatly shape Cliff’s sense of adventure and work ethic.
Even before his first ride in an open cockpit biplane from a visiting barnstormer pilot, Cliff knew he wanted to fly. After trying to enlist in WWII at the age of almost seventeen, he eventually boards a train bound for the Big Sky country of the American Southwest where he becomes a pilot in the United States Army Air Corps. He would soon become acquainted with the perilous tolls of war over the skies of Europe.
One year later, after many dangerous dogfights, strafing missions, combat wounds and lost friends, Cliff shifts gears towards oil exploration during a happenstance encounter. From piranha-laden jungles to the barren arctic and scalding deserts of the world where very few had tread, many culturally rich endeavors and further brushes with mortality arise between fits of levity and laughter.
These one-of-kind adventures ultimately lead him to the beautiful love of his life from a foreign land he had never been. Together and with a growing family, Cliff takes his endeavors further into more unknown landscapes and beyond.
The serendipitous life, adventures, heroism, hilarity, and happenstance told herein are explorations that are sure to ignite the wonderment, humor, and intrigue that lives in the hearts of us all.