On March 15, senior members of the Alaska National Guard came to Bethel to dedicate the guard’s main personnel building to one of the community’s longest-serving veterans, Maj. (Ret.) Robert Joseph Hoffman.
Alaska National Guard commander Maj. Gen. Torrance Saxe told the crowd assembled that the decision to dedicate the Bethel Readiness Center to Hoffman was an easy one.
“This has been in the planning for several years, to make sure we honor someone who is a member of the community, who is a respected Elder, an ap'a,” Saxe said. “I cannot think of a more deserving person to name this armory after.”
Over 23 years as a commissioned officer, Hoffman served in positions with the Alaska National Guard including platoon leader, company commander, battalion operations and training officer, and as an instructor for the Eskimo Scout Marksmanship Team.
“The title of the battalion was the 297th Infantry Eskimo Scout Battalion,” Hoffman said. “I was honored to be a part of that.”
During Hoffman’s tenure, beginning in 1971, the battalion swelled to more than 700 service members. Hoffman said that in many cases, guard members from the Yukon-Kuskokwim Delta brought the skills they gained back to their communities.
“It's amazing what we accomplished by sending them to education and training,” Hoffman said. “Today they are leaders in their tribal units. They are leaders in their corporations. They're on all the board[s] of directors.”
In his own speech, Gen. Saxe said that he hoped the guard can once again swell its ranks in Bethel and the region, an area he referred to as among the “most strategic parts of the most strategic state.”
Hoffman said that he was thrilled to see the new push for recruitment.
“We have a chance again with the help of Gen. Saxe to recreate what we once had,” Hoffman said. “I know him and his recruiting team can do it again.”
Hoffman, whose name will now grace the sign at the guard’s Bethel Readiness Center, also has a long history of service with community and tribal organizations.
In addition to being a former Calista Corporation board member, Hoffman currently serves on the boards of Bethel Native Corporation and the Association of Village Council Presidents, and as secretary of the Orutsararmiut Native Council.
