Captain David Hoffman USN
CAPT Hoffman survived Vietnamese POW camps and went on to command Fighter Squadron 41 aboard the USS Nimitz and later commanded the Aircraft Carrier Kitty Hawk.
I first met CAPT Hoffman when he became XO/CO of VF-41 in the late 1970s. He was a “fire and ice” autocratic leader and very difficult to work for. We often had disagreements. With respect of our different leadership styles, we worked things out. In 1978 I was advanced to SCPO, and skipper Hoffman immediately assigned me as division chief of the line division. He said they needed a leadership boost. During the “turnaround” for our next deployment, my good friend AFCM Frank Regan, VF-41 command MCPO Retired. Because the air wing’s maintenance department did not have any CPOs with flight deck experience, they had me sent to them for temporary duty for the next deployment. In the interim, skipper Hoffman assigned me to the duties of Command SCPO. He was still angry with me for having black aces painted on our sister squadron’s aircraft and not found until the deployment homecoming fly-off. (We put them on the flaps). Skipper Hoffman made me write a letter of apology to the VF-84 skipper. CAPT Hoffman was known as the “Terminator” when he was CO of the Kitty Hawk.
http://www.veterantributes.org/Tribu...?recordID=1360
Hybrid Mode
