What follows is an interview by AFP’s James Edwards with John Hill, a blue-collar working-class American who has emerged as a hero in the wake of Hurricane Helene’s devastation.
AFP: First of all, please introduce yourself and tell us a little about the A.P. Hill Legacy Foundation.
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John Hill: My name is John Hill. I am the closest living descendant of Confederate Lt. Gen. A.P. Hill. When corrupt and woke city officials in Richmond forced his grave to be moved, I exhumed Gen. Hill’s remains on Dec. 13, 2022. I was a pallbearer at his reinterment a month later in Culpeper, Va. I’m also his national guardian. I started the A.P. Hill Legacy Foundation in his honor, and I travel the country doing presentations about his life and military career. In between presentations, I also clean and flag hundreds of Confederate graves throughout the country. I give them all a salute, say their name and regiment, and play “Dixie.” I consider it to be my duty to honor and preserve our history and Southern heritage.
AFP: Like your Confederate ancestor, you saddled up and rode toward the danger. What motivated you to want to help the victims of eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina who Hurricane Helene had so ravaged?
Hill: I just felt the need to do something to help these people. I live my life in a way that I hope would make my ancestors proud. I could not sit in a warm, dry house, while so many good people were suffering.
It has been a dream of mine my entire life to be able to do something like this.
AFP: You took a leave of absence from work, rented a box truck, loaded it with supplies, and set out on a leap of faith. What were your initial goals?
Hill: I initially thought it would be great to be able to raise around $2,000 or $3,000. I wanted to bring a truckload of supplies directly to the people in need and give out whatever cash I could to those who needed it. That’s exactly what I have been doing, but to a factor of 1,000 times more than anything I could have dreamed of being able to do.
AFP: By God’s hand, your efforts went viral. An illustrated Twitter/X post you published from the epicenter of the devastation quickly accumulated over 5 million views, which led to a different kind of deluge—a deluge of support. How much money have you raised so far, and how is it being allocated?
Hill: I have been able to raise approximately $200,000 so far. I have brought three truckloads full of supplies directly to the people in need in these small mountain communities—all throughout Yancey, Mitchell, Madison, and Buncombe counties.
On top of that, I have bought 30 generators and given them to families who need them, and I have another 30 generators ordered and on the way. I have given out $60,000 in cash to families that have lost everything. I also rented a 13,000-lb. back hoe for the Bakersville Fire Department substation. I rented it for them for two weeks. They have already fixed many driveways and roads throughout the community that would not have otherwise been repaired yet.
AFP: How are you determining who to help and how to help? Please further describe the different ways you have provided assistance.
Hill: Believe me, you know them when you see them. I have been driving this 15-ft. box truck throughout the communities that got hit the hardest, even on roads that no longer exist in some spots. I am doing everything it takes to find as many folks as I can who are in need. On top of everything else, I have also been putting families up at hotels and Airbnbs for weeks, so they have warmth, comfort and something to eat.
AFP: You’ve stated on my “Political Cesspool” radio program how emotional this experience has been. To further illustrate to the readers what you’ve been doing, would you share with us just a couple of examples of your most memorable moments thus far?
Hill: Listening to these people’s stories and giving them a shoulder to cry on has been so devastating that I have been losing sleep over it. One of the encounters that really stuck with me was staying with an elderly gentleman and keeping his generator running for his oxygen until his family got back.
Listening to his stories and sitting with him was like sitting with a family member that I’ve known my entire life. There have been so many other similar examples.
AFP: How have the people you’ve helped responded to your selfless acts of charity and sacrifice?
Hill: The hugs and facial expressions make it all more than worth it. To have men hug me and cry after receiving help is something that I will never forget for the rest of my life. Words cannot describe the kindness and humility of these wonderful people of Appalachia.
AFP: How long have you been on the scene so far, and how much longer do you intend to stay?
Hill: I have been here for over three weeks, and I intend to stay a while longer. I have to return home to my family and my job, soon, but I first will help many more families and have many more generators and supplies to bring out to people before I leave. If anything changes, I will stay longer if needed. I will continue helping even after I leave, and I will be returning.
AFP: Based upon your weeks of experience on the ground, how much assistance from the federal government have you personally witnessed?
Hill: I have heard from multiple people who have seen FEMA confiscating supplies from small-town drop-off locations because they are “taking them to distribution centers to be inventoried.” Another excuse FEMA has offered is that these small towns “aren’t trained to distribute supplies.” People here have witnessed this firsthand. I have only seen a couple of FEMA agents at one location in all of my travels here. I never drop anything off anywhere because of all the issues and questions surrounding FEMA. I am bringing everything directly to the people.
AFP: If people want to donate to help the victims of Hurricane Helene with absolute certainty that what they give will go to those who need it most, how can they support your relief effort?
Hill: Thank you, James, for letting me get the word out here in American Free Press. It’s an honor. People can give at www.givesendgo.com/gdepe, which Peter Brimelow’s wife, Lydia, helped me set up.
God save the South!
James Edwards is the outspoken host of The Political Cesspool, one of America’s most potent talk radio programs. He has made numerous television guest appearances and his work as a political commentator over the past two decades has been the subject of articles in hundreds of print publications and media broadcasts around the world. Visit ThePoliticalCesspool.org for more info.
Men like Mr. Hill built this country and are true unspoken heroes.