Marshall Hoke, US Air Force veteran, was honored by Lake Sunapee Region VNA and Hospice (LSRVNA) on March 3 for his military service to our country. Joined by his son and daughter-in-law, Howard and Aryn Hoke, he was presented with a “We Honor Veterans” plaque, pin, and memory book.
The presentation is part of the LSRVNA We Honor Veterans program. LSRVNA became a national We Honor Veterans partner in 2011, the first home care agency in New Hampshire to do so. As such, the agency has made a commitment to train staff and volunteers to better meet the unique needs of home care and hospice patients who are veterans.
In active duty from 1940 to 1945 and serving in the reserves after discharge, Hoke enlisted first as an infantryman but soon had an opportunity to “fly instead of march.” He started with the Air Force as a marksman, teaching fighter pilots to shoot.
As part of a three-star general’s staff, Hoke and his team wrote a manual for fighter pilots, with special attention on techniques for shooting at a moving target, something that involved complex techniques and formulas. As a flight instructor, Hoke taught cadets to hit ground and aerial targets with a fixed .30-caliber machine gun in their AT-6 training planes, which he called their “workhorses.”
A member of the rifle teams in high school and college, Hoke developed this interest after his grandmother, a firm believer in “safety with firearms,” taught him how to shoot. Hoke shared that he had a lot of practice shooting red squirrels, which his grandmother despised. “The gray squirrels, however, were off limits!” laughed Hoke.
Hoke earned the rank of Major, logging 7,000 flying hours and with only one crash. He received the prestigious Legion of Merit, the highest honor that can be awarded to a non-combat serviceman.
At one point during his service, Hoke requested to be sent into active combat. His request was denied, being told by his commanding officer that he could do more to save lives teaching soldiers than he could by fighting. “I fired more than a million bullets, but never one in anger,” Hoke shared proudly.
Hoke grew up in Minnesota and attended Cornell University. In 1942 he married his beloved Frances “Franny” Marion Beardsley. They moved to Connecticut and raised five children: Marshall, Jr., Margaret, Alexander, David, and Howard. In 1974, they moved permanently to the beautiful shores of Pleasant Lake in Elkins, where they had spent so many wonderful summers in “this little part of paradise.”
We salute and are proud to be able to serve Marshall Hoke and many other inspiring veterans.