CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — After years of telling stories across the Coastal Bend, KRIS 6 anchor Michelle Hofmann is saying goodbye.
Hofmann has told hundreds of stories during her time in South Texas, including more than 150 Veterans in Focus segments highlighting the experiences, service and lives of local veterans.
For Hofmann, the significance of the segment goes far beyond the number of stories told. In a Facebook post, Hofmann said many of the veterans she first met as sources eventually became friends.
When Hofmann first took over Veterans in Focus from former co-anchor Pat Simon, she said she was intimidated.
Simon is a veteran and longtime journalist who had built deep relationships with veterans throughout the Coastal Bend. He also became a mentor to Hofmann and passed along a lesson she carried into each interview.
“Let a story breathe,” Simon told her.
Hofmann said that advice became a guiding principle for Veterans in Focus.
“I wanted to find each person’s voice and heart, and give them the space to tell their story in their own way,” Hofmann said.
That philosophy was on her mind during a recent Veterans Round Table Corpus Christi meeting at Del Mar College.
As Hofmann looked around the room, she recognized many of the people she had first met while working on a story or trying to meet a deadline.
“Looking around the room, I realized how many of them have become people I’m lucky enough to call friends,” Hofmann said.
One of those people is JJ De La Cerda, who has been a longtime resource for Hofmann and veterans throughout the Coastal Bend.
Hofmann said she was especially touched when De La Cerda presented her with plaques recognizing her work.
“They mean a lot to me, not just as an honor, but as a reminder of the people I’ve been fortunate enough to meet,” Hofmann said.
While Hofmann is leaving the Coastal Bend, she said there are still people she wishes she could check on, stories she wishes she could tell and more she would like to do for the veteran community.
Still, she is grateful for the time she has had and for the veterans who trusted her enough to share their stories.
Whenever a veteran has thanked Hofmann for her work, she said her response has always been the same.
“It’s the least I can do.”
And she means it.
Hofmann is also encouraging veterans who need help finding resources to reach out. Even if she does not immediately know the answer, she said she will try to connect them with someone who does.
The Veterans Roundtable at Del Mar College is another resource for local veterans. The group meets from 9 to 11 a.m. every Thursday at 3209 S. Staples St. The meetings bring together people and organizations working to help veterans navigate available resources.
“Thank you to everyone who trusted me with your story, welcomed me into your lives and became part of mine,” Hofmann said. “I’ll carry those stories and those friendships with me wherever I go next.”
Her final Veterans in Focus story will air Tuesday, Aug. 18, on her final day at KRIS 6.
More Veterans In Focus stories are available here, along with resources for local veterans.
