RIP Robert!

TAPS RIP Brother

Debra, I served under your father's command of HMM-263 starting in July of 1968 when the squadron was first forming at Santa Ana Air Station and throughout 1969 at Marble Mountain Air Facility, Vietnam. I was one of the first three 2^nd Lts to join the squadron at Tustin. Your dad was a Marine's Marine, he was an outstanding aviator, and he was my mentor. He was on the flight schedule nearly every day and he flew whatever missions came his way. He seemed to be fearless. I had the good fortune to fly as his copilot many times. His leadership was instrumental in getting all of us young Lts trained and prepared for combat. HMM-263 was always successful because LtCol Hofstetter was a leader. He showed us what needed to be done, how to do it, and then encouraged us go do it. It was no easy task to go from ZERO in early 68, gather a group of men, transport them to Nam in Jan 69 with 20+ brand new CH-46Ds, mold them into a functioning unit, and have them flying medevac, recon, resupply, etc within a month of arrival. It was an honor to personally know your dad and be a part of his command. S/F JC Short