James DeBord of Bristol, Virginia, left, accepts an American flag from retired Lt. Col. James Hoffman who handed out the flags last week outside Food Country in Abingdon in remembrance of Memorial day. DeBord served in the U.S. air Force.
CAROLYN R. WILSON
Special to the Bristol Herald Courier
REMEMBERING ON MEMORIAL DAY
ABINGDON, Va. -- Wearing a crisp white Army dress uniform shirt heavily decorated with medals, James Hoff man may have looked a bit out of place at a local grocery store last week. His assignment was to hand out American flags to customers in remembrance of Memorial Day and to help raise money for the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1994 of Abingdon, of which he is a member.
He was joined by Tony Mitchell, who served in the 278th Calvary Army National Guard, and currently is the VFW 1994 Post Commander and the VFW District 12 Commander covering Southwest Virginia.
For the retired serviceman, Memorial Day is not about the back-yard barbecues, beach trips, or even a day off from work.
It is a day of solemn remembrance. "It's a day to honor the men and women who sacrificed their lives while serving in the U.S. military," said the officer who retired two years ago as a lieutenant colonel.
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"While I was handing out flags, I was able to look up on the hill and see my mother and grandmother," said Hoff man, whose loved ones are laid to rest in Knollkreg Memorial Park in town.
"They didn't serve in the military, but they served by supporting their husbands and children by sending them off to war," he said. "My mom sewed all the patches on my first uniform. I still have that uniform and it will always stay in my closet. My grandmother did it for her children, too."
Lifetime of service
Born into a military family, he shared their passion for serving the country, even as a child. While a senior at Patrick Henry High School at the age of 17, Hoff man convinced his mother to sign him up with the Virginia National Guard Armory in Gate City. He served as a radio operator on weekends for the 1032nd transportation company.
His 30-year service in the U.S. Army began on Dec. 7, 1993, on Pearl Harbor Day and concluded in June 2023. Among the many medals he received during his service are three Bronze Stars, one Defense Meritorious Service Medal and three Meritorious Service Medals, all of which he called his "high three" medals, often worn at the top of the service member's uniform.
During his service, Hoffman completed four tours of duty in Iraq while in active duty.
His service
Choosing the military just seemed like the natural thing to do for Hoffman, a Washington County native, who spent his free time working in tobacco fields on the farm.
Hoffman's paternal grandfather was an intelligence officer during World War II. His Uncle Dennis Hoffman served in the Brown Water Navy in Vietnam, a naval operation conducted in inland waterways like rivers, lakes and near shore waters.
"My grandmother Hoffman was an Army nurse," he said.
His grandfather Gregory was in the infantry and wounded in Italy where he received the Purple Heart.
"All of my uncles on my mother's side were in the military," he said with pride and admiration.
"I knew I wanted this life when I was a little kid playing with GI Joe's. I chose to serve in honor of my grandparents and family. I wanted to honor their memory," Hoffman added.
"My grandparents always said it's only a small portion of people who actually raise their hands and do this. It takes someone to stand on the wall to protect the friends and family we have. They gave a portion of their lives to serve and in their honor I did the same thing," he said.
Before the days of Internet and social media, a young Hoffman was anxious to see the world and to answer a calling to serve others.
"The easiest way for me to do that was to join the military," he said.
After four years with East Tennessee State University's ROTC program, Hoffman graduated in 2000 as an infantry officer.
Following a year-long infantry training at Fort Benning, Hoffman's first tour in 2001 took him to Germany as a rifle platoon leader.
His military life quickly changed when the 9/11 terrorist attacks happened only four months later. He was then assigned to Iraq to patrol the area surrounding the University of Baghdad.
While in Iraq, Hoffman assumed the role of rear detachment commuter, providing support and resources to deployed personnel and their families.
"Taking care of the families was a heart-felt job," said Hoffman, who was tasked with notifying the families of deceased service members.
"I was faced with having to do a notification to the wife of a friend of mine. We were buddies in the same unit. That was one of the hardest things I've had to do. I had created such a bond with these families."
His memories of that day are still fresh.
"We had made it through twelve months of service in Iraq and I was starting to bring some soldiers back home. However, orders came down that our tour was going to be extended an extra three months," explained Hoffman.
During that extension, the lives of soldiers were lost.
"One of them was Robert Scheetz. He was driving on a convoy with some scouts and his vehicle got blown up. He was airlifted to a hospital in Landstuhl, Germany, where he succumbed to his wounds."
Hoffman had to perform the notification a second time when a staff sergeant was killed in the same manner.
"He was my instructor for receiving my Expert Infantryman Badge. We went to war together. That also was difficult," he said.
Sometimes good things can result from war.
Hoffman's grandfather and grandmother Hoffman chose to adopt three war orphans while serving in Germany before returning home.
"At that time, there was a movement that allowed U.S. citizens to adopt orphans from Europe. The children ended up having good lives here," he said.
Hoffman switched from infantry to Signal Corps during his second, third, and fourth tours to Iraq from 2005 to 2013.
"Because I had spent so much time with the infantry, they made me the IT [information technology] guy for all the infantry units."
Hoffman's travels took him to Norfolk, Virginia, where he was selected to teach a top secret joint cyber intelligence operators course at the Joint Forces Staff College. After four years, he was assigned to Korea as a battalion commander, commanding a unit that was in charge of expanding all of the communications in southern Korea.
A car accident prompted his retirement from the Army in 2023.
"I decided when I got healthy, I needed to be having Thanksgiving dinner with my family back home," said Hoffman, whose brother, Eric Hoffman, is a teacher at Patrick Henry High School and also an Army veteran.
"I decided to come home from Seattle and 96 hours later, with a U-Haul behind my Subaru, I was having Thanksgiving dinner with my brother," he said. "It's good to be back home with family."
New opportunity
Hoffman, now 49, grew accustomed to being moved around while serving and will once again set out on another journey -- this time closer to home and his family.
He has been hired to be the project manager for modernization for the Radford Army ammunition plant in Radford, Virginia, a manufacturing complex which manufactures propellants and explosives for the U.S. military.
"There are a whole lot of people behind the war fighter," he said. "They are the people who make the bullets, the clothing, the uniforms and the equipment. This opportunity will allow me to not only live and work in my Southwest Virginia community, but also have a job that continues to serve the war fighter by producing the equipment and infrastructure that supports the combat soldier.
"For all the efforts that made me safe while I was the war fighter, I now get to do that for the next generation of soldiers, sailors, airmen and marines," he said.
Carolyn R. Wilson is a freelance writer in Glade Spring, Virginia.
Contact her at citydesk@ bristolnews.com.
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