|
2008-03-09 -Obits-
|
|
The passing of an unglamorous but remarkable general
|
Hoff, Brigadier General
David B. (Ret.)
MADISON
Brigadier General David Bechtold Hoff, (Ret.), died Wednesday, Feb. 27, 2008, in Madison, surrounded by his family. He was born in Ettrick, Wis., on Aug. 31, 1932, the son of Oscar Frederick and Elsie Marie (Bechtold) Hoff. He started working at age 6, selling newspapers, and later worked in tobacco barns and a canning factory. He was in the West Salem High School class of 1949, where he played on the baseball, basketball, and football teams, was a cheerleader, played the tuba, and sang in the choir. In 1953, he graduated with high honors from the UW-Madison School of Business with a degree in accounting. While in college he joined Air Force R.O.T.C.....
In 1954, Hoff received a commission as 2nd Lt. in the Air Force and completed his pilot training in 1956. He served a tour of active duty from 1955 to1958 in Texas, Florida, and Fuerstenfeldbruck AFB in Germany, where he trained German Air Force pilots. Hoff played basketball on the 7330th Pilot Training Group team, the Jet Jockeys, traveling around Europe and winning the Mutual Defense Alliance Pact championship in 1957. In 1958, he returned to Madison and served as a pilot in the Wisconsin Air National Guard (WI ANG) until 1989, when he retired as Air Commander of Truax Air Base and Wing Commander of the 128th Tactical Fighter Wing with more than 6000 hours flying time, including 1000 hours in the A-10 Thunderbolt II. As Commander, Hoff lead the 128th TFW back into the jet age following its near deactivation and the removal of its jets in the 1970s, giving the base its working motto, "Dedicated to Excellence." He also graduated from the U.S. Air Force Air War College in 1975 and the Industrial College of the Armed Forces in 1978.
General Hoff worked regularly with Congress in the WI ANG congressional liaison program, which he initiated. Senator William Proxmire awarded General Hoff the Reverse Golden Fleece Award in 1984, for using his own money to purchase and expedite the placement of safety clips on all Air Force, ANG and Air Force Reserve A-10 pilot air hoses to prevent inadvertent disconnect at high G forces in flight. The G-suit modification, which he designed and then implemented in a test program at Truax before receiving U.S.A.F. approval to equip every A-10 unit in the military, took three months and cost $1,100; Air Force experts had told General Hoff it would cost tens of thousands of dollars and take two years to accomplish the same result. In 1985, Reader's Digest magazine awarded Hoff the Hero for Today award, noting that "What this country and we taxpayers need is more doers like Brig. Gen. David Hoff in charge of things. . ."
Following his retirement, Hoff served as Deputy Executive Director of the National Guard Association of the United States from 1992-93 in Washington, D.C., and in 1994, was inducted into the WI ANG Hall of Fame. He said the best thing he did in life was being in the WI ANG....
In 1989, at age 56, he graduated Cum Laude and Order of the Coif from the UW-Madison Law School, having served as Associate Editor of the Law Review. He practiced law through 2005, with the same enthusiasm and dedication that he devoted to all of his pursuits. His volunteer involvement included (and here follows about 7 column inches of unglamorous but very useful civic projects, everything from noise abatement to helping seniors).
****
There are seven soldiers listed in Sunday's Wisconsin State Journal obituary page. One served his country in WWII and his God and the Catholic church, and worked construction. Another served in WWII and Korea, and lost a son in Viet Nam. Another was a Marine for 30 years who operated radio stations in China. 
|
Posted by mom 2008-03-09 09:31||
||
Front Page|| [3 views ]
Top
|
|
01:03 DooDahMan
01:00 DooDahMan
00:58 Grom the Reflective
00:35 Uleremp and Company7042
00:34 3dc
00:32 Uleremp and Company7042
00:14 DooDahMan
|
