Sgt. 1st Cl. James Hoffman , 1st Battalion, 1st Brigade, 1st Infantry,

Jan. 27, 2004

James Thomas Hoffman was a caring man, said Capt. Terrence Alvarez, who worked with him at Fort Riley.

"He invited my son horseback riding with him and his family one day last summer. It was really a blessed day and a memory I will cherish, as will my son always," Alvarez said at a memorial service for Hoffman and three comrades. Hoffman , 41, was killed with two other members of his unit Jan. 27, 2004, in a bomb attack in Khalidiyah, Iraq.

After three years in the Army Reserve, Hoffman joined the active Army in 1987 and was assigned to Fort Campbell. He served in the Gulf War, later was stationed in Germany, and then at Fort Riley in 1994. In 1998, he was assigned to recruiting duty in Des Moines, Iowa.

He returned to Fort Riley in 2001 and was deployed to Iraq in September.

Hoffman grew up in Palatine, Ill., and was married, according to Fort Riley officials.