Years ago I use to read a magazine that had a column called "my most memorable person". Dick Hofer is my most memorable person.
I went to boot camp with Dick. What impressed me most about him was the degree to which he would stick to his opinion. The Drill Instructors were "encouraging" the smokers to quit smoking. All the smokers quit but Dick. The Drill Instructors would "encourage" Dick to change his way of thinking by making him do push-ups. When that wouldn't change his mind they would usually get frustrated and take it out on someone else. I was usually that someone else. I ended up doing push-ups for my battalion in field meets.
After boot camp I only saw Dick twice, once right after we got out. Recently when we got our updated list of addresses of former classmates Dick was listed as living in Monreville. I got all excited about seeing him. I went to his house and talked to his son. The son told me Dick passed away in 2002. He told me his dad had worked for Westinghouse. Westinghouse would send him to jobs and companies that they were having problems with for him to straighten things out. I remembered how Dick was in boot camp and told his kid they sent the right guy for the job.
Carole Williamson (Wade)
photo from Boot Camp
Robert (Robin) Brown
Thanks Joe,
Those are good words and a real honor.