Hoffman: Upbringing allowed me to be successful Army officer

In 2004, Lake Charles native Maj. Gene Hoffman spent his Independence Day recovering from wounds he suffered in a firefight with insurgents in Iraq. The scene was a far cry from the days of his youth participating in his family’s homegrown Mardi Gras krewe and fishing in Prien Lake with his mother.

Hoffman, the son of Barry and Lu Hoffman, said his upbringing and lessons from his teachers at Barbe High School shaped him into the leader he had to be on that fateful day.

“My parents taught me so much about integrity through observing them, and my teachers may never know just how much they affected me while I sat in their classrooms,” he said.

Hoffman said his family was known for their spirit of community and giving. The family’s home barbecues in 1987 morphed into the Krewe of Komova, which participates in every Mardi Gras celebration with a costume ball and parades. The krewe also performs charity work throughout the year.

At school, Hoffman said, biology teacher Cathy Reon, band teacher Stephen Hand and history teacher Clay East taught him about the world and about being a dependable adult.

“Their classes were so much more than just schoolwork; they taught me about the world and in general how to be a good person,” he said. “I owe them so much credit for the person I am today.”

In 1997, Hoffman matriculated into the Virginia Military Institute and majored in biology. He was commissioned as an infantry officer in 2002, when the nation was at war. He began an intense 10 months of training in the swamps of Georgia, preparing alongside other soldiers.

“It was really an extremely anxious time. Here I was, a fresh-faced lieutenant without any real idea of what I was about to experience,” he said. “All any of us could do was think back on the stories we had been told from Vietnam and the Korean War for some idea of what we might see out there.” 

In the summer of 2004, during a 15-month deployment to the Middle East, Hoffman’s platoon accompanied others in responding to a call for aid from Salvadoran soldiers who were facing attacks from insurgents in a town called Mahmudiyah, about 19 miles south of Baghdad. On June 4, they were struck by a surprise coordinated attack that temporarily overcame their defenses.

“They were hitting us with mortar rounds and rocket-propelled grenades,” Hoffman said. “What seemed like everything they had was being thrown at us all at once.”

It took three helicopters to evacuate the 26 soldiers wounded in the engagement, including Hoffman, but they suffered no fatalities. Hoffman spent the next two weeks in a Baghdad hospital.

“I’ll never forget that first call home to my parents,” he said. “They had only been given general information from officials, and we had no way of contact before making that call. I think the emotions in saying those first words ‘I’m OK’ overcame us all a little bit.”

While Hoffman’s parents had always been supportive of their son’s desire to serve in the military, he said that support became just a little bit stronger after his injury when he was transferred to a human resources position at the Pentagon.

“Now I dodge paperclips instead of bullets, and we all breathe a little easier,” he said.

Now, 14 years since that harrowing day in Iraq, Hoffman will celebrate Independence Day in a new way with his promotion July 3 to the rank of lieutenant colonel. He said he has now begun eyeing retirement in the next few years and  said he plans to return home.

“I’ve traveled all over the world, and I’ve lived in some incredible places and experienced amazing cultures, but I have never found a place like Lake Charles,” he said. “That is where my heart has stayed. Everywhere else has just been an incredible visit.”

Maj. Gene Hoffman served a 15-month deployment in Iraq, where he was injured in a firefight with insurgents. 

Special to the American Press

Maj. Gene Hoffman, center, joins his parents on a fishing trip off the coast of Hawaii after recovering from shrapnel wounds he suffered in Iraq.

Special to the American Press

Maj. Gene Hoffman, son of Barry and Lu Hoffman, said his parents taught him about integrity.

Special to the American Press