Remembering David Hodson: Knoxville veteran who led 150 Marines to Iraq and back dies at 76
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — The top sergeant who took 150 Marines from Delta Company in Knoxville to Iraq in 1990 has passed away.
Retired Sergeant Major David Hodson spoke with 6 News three years ago for Veterans Voices. Hodson lived the US Marine Corps motto, Semper Fidelis, all his adult life. After 26 years, he retired from the Marine Reserves as a sergeant major, the highest non-commissioned officer rank. He joined the US Marines out of high school in 1968 and served two tours in Vietnam.
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Assigned to the 1st Marine Division in his first tour, the regiment saw combat. Three Hodson brothers served in the Marines. David returned to Vietnam for a second tour. He was told not to wear his Marine uniform home in 1970, at the height of the anti-war movement. He wore it anyway.
Hodson remained in the Marine Corps Reserve and served in another war: Desert Storm.
The headline in December 1990 said, 'Knox Marine reservists ship out for training, await Mideast call' – it caught everyone's attention. Then, First Sgt. Hodson assembled his 150 Marines from Company D, 4th Combat Engineers in Knoxville and made a vow.
'I said, if you will pray every single day for us. I said I will promise you, we will go before our lord every single day. And I know if we do that, we will come back home together,' Hodson told Dare in 2022.
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Keeping his word, Company D cut a chapel in the Iraqi sand, and unit preachers led the services.
'Even during the war, we took 15 minutes out. We knew that was the time to ask God to protect us. He did. He sure did; he brought us back home,' said Hodson.
Every member of Company D returned to East Tennessee in late spring 1991.
'It was the greatest welcome I ever had. I'll go to my grave thanking everybody for taking the time to come out and welcome me home that day,' said Hodson.
His family and the Marine family mourn his passing. Hodson was 76 years old. Services for Hodson were conducted at the East Tennessee Veterans Cemetery last week.
Veterans Voices: Hear the stories of those who served
Before he passed away from brain cancer, some of Hodson's former Marine buddies came from across the country to say 'Thank you,' and told him they loved him. Many colleagues from the Knox County courthouse also visited him, who had most recently been a court bailiff.
He is survived by his wife, Brenda, two children, seven grandchildren, her brother, and his sisters.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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