The Hill AFB aircraft maintenance outfit manager receives the second star as a farewell gift News

HILL AIR FORCE BASE – While the commander of the Hill Air Force Base aircraft maintenance depot is leaving the state later this year, she will be picking up a lovely parting present.

McCauley von Hoffman was promoted to major general last week, a two-star general and the third highest rank an aviator can achieve. After two years at the helm of one of the Air Force’s largest operations, Hoffman Hill will be leaving in July to become director of logistics, civil engineering, protection of the armed forces and nuclear integration at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

Born in Mississippi, she received her assignment from ROTC to Vanderbilt University in 1989 and began her career in the Air Force as a utility and fuel officer. She later completed a cross-training course in aircraft maintenance. She has served a variety of roles over her 32 years of service and has also been a prolific writer, contributing to the Air and Space Power Journal, Air Force Journal of Logistics, and RAND Corp published.

Retired Air Force Major General Kathryn Johnson, a longtime friend of Hoffmans, said the newly baptized two-star woman lived her Air Force career with a spirit of volunteering.

“What makes you different is your service to yourself,” said Johnson. “She always says ‘send me’ … she really lived and embodied it and that is what sets her apart from others.”

Indeed, von Hoffman’s résumé supports Johnson’s assessment. Von Hoffman, who is married to a former fighter pilot and has three daughters, has served worldwide throughout her career. Her duties included several years in the Middle East, Germany and South Korea. She has completed combat tours in the Pacific and Europe and has deployed in support of several emergency operations including Desert Shield, Desert Storm, Provide Comfort, Northern Watch, Coronet Oak, Iraqi Freedom and Enduring Freedom.

One could argue, however, that her job as head of the Ogden ALC, the Air Force’s main maintenance and repair division, was the most significant. As of 2019, von Hoffman has led a team of more than 8,500 people, including both military and civilians. The Ogden ALC performs maintenance, repair, overhaul and modification work on aircraft such as the A-10, C-130, T-38, F-16, F-22, F-35 and the Minuteman III ICBM.

The complex produces electronics, avionics, instruments, power systems and software for several US weapon systems. Hoffman’s responsibilities include locations in Japan, Colorado, Nebraska, Texas, California, Florida, Wyoming, North Dakota, and Montana. The Ogden ALC also directly supports a global supply chain that the Department of Defense and other allied nations rely on for combat operations.

“For all of you who helped get this second star on my shoulder, I promise I will pay it forward,” von Hoffman said at a recent promotion ceremony. “I promise I will do my best to take care of our air force and our aviators.”

Von Hoffman became the second woman in the Northern Utah military community to receive a general promotion this month. On May 1, Charlene Dalto, a member of the Utah Army National Guard, was promoted to brigadier general. This was the first time a woman had achieved this rank in the history of the Utah ANG.