Danville graduate is honored for service in Afghanistan
By John Tuohy
john.tuohy@indystar.com
February 12, 2007

Marine Corps Maj. Randall S. Hoffman never knew his uncle, a Vietnam War helicopter crew chief who died in a troop recovery mission in 1968.

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But while growing up in Hendricks County, Hoffman heard a lot about him from his father and another uncle, who also were U.S. Marines. And in 1994, he brought his uncle's long-missing remains back to Indiana.

"I was well aware of my uncle's sacrifice to serve and defend the country," Hoffman said. "That's how my family was raised, to pay attention to what's going on in the world and be prepared to serve."

Saturday, Hoffman took his own prominent place in that family tradition. The Danville High School graduate received two Bronze Star medals at a ceremony at the Marine Corps Reserve Training Center in Terre Haute.

Hoffman earned the medals for combat actions in Afghanistan. In the craggy mountains of a border region in that war-torn country, Hoffman and his unit of indigenous soldiers appeared pinned down when al-Qaida fighters launched a midnight attack in March 2003.

Under intense gunfire and rocket bombardment, Hoffman pinpointed where his soldiers should return mortar and machine-gun fire. His battalion killed at least 55 enemy soldiers over three days and forced them to retreat. Five of his men were killed.

"They attacked us in the early morning, and we fought for about seven hours, until sunlight," Hoffman said. "It went on for three days."

Hoffman, now back in Indiana, was in Afghanistan and Iraq for 21/2 years and plans to return in about a year. For the past 18 months, he's been an inspector and instructor at the Terre Haute training center. It's also Hoffman's job to notify the families of Marines that a loved one has been killed in combat.

"I volunteered to do the notifications," he said. "It is a rather unpleasant task. I'd rather be getting shot at in Afghanistan and Iraq. But it is an important job."

Most recently, he assisted the families of Sgt. Brock Babb, 40, Evansville, and Lance Cpl. Joshua M. Hines, 26, Olney, Ill., who were killed by roadside bombs in October.

"We meet the caskets at the airport and help the family through the process with things like life insurance," Hoffman said. "It's a very tight community."
Hoffman, 40, was born in California and moved to Danville when he was 8. During high school, he joined the choir and competed on the wrestling team.
"He was one of those dream kids who could have done anything," said retired Danville High School Principal Pete Davis. "He had character and drive, was a good student and had all types of intellectual and artistic interests. But this was something he really wanted to do, considering his family history and everything."

After graduating from Danville in 1985, he enlisted in the Marines, just as his father and two uncles had done. It came as a surprise to his father, Carl Hoffman, Danville.

"I never pushed him in that direction, so I thought he might do something with his artistic talent," Carl Hoffman said. "He could really draw and paint and act and sing. But I could understand how he made the choice. He had a good idea of the values that were held by me and his two uncles."

Randall Hoffman transferred temporarily to the Marine Reserve in 1989 so he could attend college, where he also learned to speak Arabic.

"It's a real ice-breaker later on over there," he said of the war zones. "For some reason, Arabic just came easy to me."

After graduating from Indiana University in 1994 with a degree in history, Hoffman got a firsthand view of his family's military past. That was the summer he flew to Vietnam to bring the remains of his uncle back to Danville.
Terry A. Hoffman, a Marine Corps corporal, was 23 when his helicopter was shot down in Quang Tri province in South Vietnam on Aug. 19, 1968. His remains, missing for more than two decades, were found in 1993 and identified in 1994.

"I didn't think it would be very emotional, but it was," Hoffman said of returning his uncle's remains to Indiana. "Especially when I gave his parents the folded American flag. I'm glad they got this closure before they died."
A plaque honoring Hoffman's uncle, also a Danville High School grad, was placed at the Hendricks County War Memorial at the county courthouse. He was buried July 4 at Spring Hill Cemetery south of Danville.

Randall Hoffman had planned to retire from military service, but then came the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

"It caused some soul-searching on my future," Hoffman said. "I decided I just really and truly wanted to help in the worst possible way that could protect my life and the life of my kids."

It's why he is still deferring retirement.

"These guys are dying in huge numbers," he said of the Iraqi soldiers he trained. "It will still take a while to get them to stand up on their own. But they tell us Americans that if we leave there, there will be absolutely no hope for them or their families."

Though proud of his son's heroism, Carl Hoffman said he worries about him. But, he added, "When you look at what's at stake, you realize some things are worth living and dying for."

Hoffman, who is married with a son, 9, and two daughters, 7 and 2, said his commitment is sometimes difficult for them to understand.

"I decided to come back home to take a little downtime and let them get to know me," Hoffman said. "But they know I have an obligation to my country and an obligation to the Iraqi soldiers."

Hoffman said the Afghans and Iraqis he fights with have earned his respect.
"I love them like brothers," he said. "I've really learned a lot since being over there and about misconceptions and stereotypes we have about Muslims. They are some great soldiers, some on par with U.S. soldiers. They are good-hearted guys who just want to live in peace like anyone else."

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