Finding Strength Beyond The Front Lines
by U.S. Army 1st Sgt. Luisito Brooks
October 28, 2025

For Pfc. Darius Hodson, a combat engineer assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Regiment, 502nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault), serving in the U.S. Army is not just about building or destroying obstacles ... it’s about building himself.

“Being out here shows you what you’re really made of,” said Hodson, a native of San Diego, California. “This job requires a lot of physical endurance, but it’s also a mental game. You learn to stay level-headed under pressure and push through when things get tough.”

Hodson’s calm under pressure is the result of both rigorous training and personal growth. From basic training to large-scale multinational exercises, he’s learned the importance of perseverance, adaptability, and teamwork.

“It builds character, it builds persistence - it builds more of yourself than you ever thought possible,” Hodson said. “When I first joined, I wasn’t the Soldier I am now. It took a lot of good leadership and my battle brothers to show me what I could actually do when I relied on others.”

At Combined Resolve 26-1, held at the Joint Multinational Readiness Center in Hohenfels, Germany, Hodson and his fellow engineers are responsible for executing demolition operations, obstacle emplacement, and route clearance - skills vital to enabling maneuver forces and ensuring mission success.

“It’s exciting to apply everything we’ve learned to real scenarios,” he said. “Every guy on my team knows how to plan and build demo, how to breach, how to solve problems under pressure. We’re a gateway to making the mission happen - a team that finds ways to make the impossible possible.”

Hodson’s decision to become a combat engineer was inspired by family. Growing up in San Diego, a city steeped in military culture, he admired his cousin who also served as a combat engineer in the Marine Corps. “He told me what it would be like - being on the front lines, working with infantry, hands-on with demo, and that’s what I wanted,” Hodson said. “I can’t say I’ve been disappointed. It’s been everything I hoped for and more.”

During this deployment, Hodson faced a personal loss that reshaped his outlook on service and resilience. His mother, Tyeen Whitewaters, passed away after a long battle with cancer during the last few months of the unit’s rotation to Europe.

“She was my biggest supporter,” Hodson said. “Losing her made me want to do this even more. My dad, my brothers, and my sisters, they’re my motivation now. I feel like I’m the bridge that brings everyone together, and being in the Army helped me see things differently.”

Hodson returned home briefly to see his mother one last time, a moment that deepened his perspective on purpose and perseverance.

“Just because something’s hard doesn’t mean it can’t be done,” he said. “The Army has shown me how to keep a strong mind, endure the challenges, and focus on one thing at a time. You realize that with the right mindset and the right people beside you, there’s nothing you can’t overcome.”

For Hodson, service is not just about defending the nation, it’s about honoring those who believed in him and discovering who he truly is along the way.

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