First Sergeant With Toughness of Infantry and Compassion of Chaplain Retires After Nearly Three Decades of Military Service

Greg Hoffman didn't want to be a first sergeant.
He saw what his friend and mentor, Command Sgt. Maj. (retired) Dena Ballowe, endured as she prepared the 3537th Surface Maintenance Co. for Hurricane Katrina duty in 2005 as the brand-new unit first sergeant. Hoffman decided “Being a first sergeant is not a good idea.â€
But, as with many things throughout his life, “God had other plans,†he said during his June 6 retirement ceremony on Camp Lincoln in Springfield.
Hoffman retired after serving as the first sergeant of the headquarters company of the Illinois Army National Guard's Joint Force Headquarters for the past six years.
“He has the toughness of an Infantryman combined with the compassion of a Chaplain,†said Maj. Lavern Meissner, 1st Sgt. Hoffman's commander at Joint Force Headquarters. “He did the right things for the right reasons throughout his career.â€
Brig. Gen. Jorge Fonseca, the Director of the Illinois National Guard Joint Staff, presented Hoffman with the Meritorious Service Medal and praised him as a Soldier as well as a dedicated family man and friend.
“He led with humility. He led with professionalism,†Fonseca said during the ceremony. “He led with genuine care for Soldiers and their families.â€
Hoffman enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1992 as an Infantryman, and he was good at it. He earned the Expert Infantry Badge on his first attempt, successfully completing all 27 required tasks. As part of the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii, he served as a unit armorer, commander's radio telephone operator, and Dragon gunner.
But he got out of the Army in 1995 after that first enlistment. He received a bachelor's degree in business administration from Lincoln Christian College and was ready to follow a civilian career path.
Then came the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and the military activations that followed. In December 2002 he enlisted in the Illinois Army National Guard's Springfield-based 3637th Surface Maintenance Co. as a diesel mechanic. In September 2005, he was activated for Hurricane Katrina and after returning from helping devastated communities down South, the unit began training for its 2007 deployment to Iraq. Hoffman and his fellow Soldiers spent a year at Al Asad Airbase in Iraq.
After the Iraq deployment, Hoffman began his full-time military career as a Federal Technician at Joint Force Headquarters, serving as a Personnel Security Technician before transitioning into human resources and later becoming the State Chaplain's Assistant, a position eventually redesignated as Master Religious Affairs Specialist. He was promoted to Master Sergeant in 2015.
Then, just as the global COVID-19 pandemic started, he was selected to serve as the Joint Force Headquarters' First Sergeant. During the pandemic, headquarters Soldiers were activated to man the Illinois National Guard's COVID testing sites and later COVID immunization sites as well as respond to civil disturbance in the wake of the death of George Floyd in Minneapolis. Throughout these activations, Hoffman provided steady leadership while ensuring the welfare of Soldiers and their families.
Those who served alongside Hoffman often point to his leadership style as his greatest contribution. “He set the standard for that position,†said Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Vince Lambert. “He was about getting things done and taking care of Soldiers.â€
Hoffman credited the Holy Spirit; his parents, Daniel and Michele Hoffman, and his spouse, Jodi, for his success in the Army. Daniel Hoffman is a Veteran who served as a combat medic in Vietnam from 1969 to 1971.
First Sgt. Hoffman and Jodi's two sons, Toby and Logan, have become “truly good,†people, he said. Jodi, he added, “Never said ‘no' to any of my weird ideas.†She didn't complain about him spending time with the “Over 40 Running Club†helping Soldiers with their physical fitness, talking with State Command Chaplain (Colonel) Steve Foster about ‘Dr. Who' episodes, or the hours in his woodworking shop making gifts for Soldiers. “The best path is the one we are on together,†Hoffman told his wife.
“Behind every deployment, every late night, every emergency activation, every weekend drill, and every phone call that starts with ‘Something came up at work,' there is a family making sacrifices right alongside them,†Fonseca said. “You have left the Illinois National Guard better than you found it.â€