RUMFORD – Mr. and Mrs. John R. Hodgson Sr. recently traveled to South Carolina to welcome Master Sgt. John R. Hodgson Jr. and his family back to the mainland after he retired in Hawaii with 22 years of service in the U.S. Air Force.

Hodgson was born in Rumford and graduated from Rumford High School in June 1981. He left for training on June 15, 1981.

After basic training at Lackland Air Force Base in Texas, Hodgson was based in Hawaii, South Carolina, and served in Greece. He was sent to Plattsburg N.Y., trained in chemical warfare and was sent to Saudi Arabia when war broke out. He was later stationed at Plattsburg as an instructor on chemical warfare. His next assignment was as a recruiter in South Carolina before being sent to Arizona. After that he was sent back to Saudi Arabia for a short time due to his expertise in chemical warfare and then back to Hawaii where he retired on July 15.

Hodgson will be working in Virginia as a civilian.