At 97, Don Hoffman, of Mount Jackson, still spends his days on the move — a pace that seems fitting for a man whose life has carried him across the Atlantic Ocean during wartime to bussing the busy tables at Ben’s Diner in Woodstock.

“I would do everything I did over again,” Hoffman said last week. “Except, I’d do better in high school.”

The former football star, who worked for the Merchant Marines during World War II followed by 15 years in the U.S. Navy, has lived a life defined by service and hard work.

“I really didn’t want any of this,” he said, reluctantly sitting down to share his life story in honor of Veterans Day on Tuesday. “But, here we are."

Early years

Born Oct. 15, 1928, Hoffman grew up in Irvington, a town on the Rappahannock River, with two brothers. He spent his time

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