In 1934, the Air Corps Materiel Division recommended that its prospective Rocky Mountain Air Depot be located in northern Utah, which was recognized for its year-round flying weather and its strategic inland location from which to protect against coastal attacks. With the ground-breaking in January 1940, the site was named to honor Major Ployer "Pete" Hill. Hill Field (now Hill Air Force Base) would go on to serve a vital role in the development of the United States Air Force and in supporting U.S. war efforts in World War II, Korea, and Vietnam. First published as the monthly Hill Fielder in January 1943, the newspaper was rechristened HillFielder for its first weekly issue, on May 23, 1943. That day, it announced: "We can do no better than repeat what we said in our first issue: 'To give Hill Field a voice...to interpret our role in the great drama that is being played in this gigantic struggle for freedom...to be helpful, critical, appreciative, cooperative...such is the task of this publication...'” The editorial staff went on to say: "Our problems are the problems of the country as a whole. Our sacrifices and perplexities are those of the civilian and the military everywhere. We exist to win the war and everything is subordinated to this dominant purpose." The Hillfielder ended on January 1, 1946. The Hill Top Times began on March 5, 1948, and continues publishing to this day.

We extend our thanks to the Hill Aerospace Museum for the loan of newspapers for scanning.