FORT LEE, Va. — When retired Sgt. 1st Class Tyrone W. Hodges arrived at Fort Lee for Advanced Individual Training in 1987, he was a young Soldier beginning what would become a 22-year Army career.
Nearly four decades later, Hodges can still recall running an Army Physical Fitness Test at Williams Stadium. A competitive runner, he finished the 2-mile run in 10 minutes, 30 seconds, then went back around the track to encourage other Soldiers as they finished.
“I was competitive and determined, but I also believed in going back to help others succeed,” Hodges said.
It was one of many experiences at Fort Lee that Hodges said helped shape his approach to leadership.
He remembers standing inside the field branch building during training and studying the chain of command board. His attention was drawn to the command sergeant major’s photograph and the senior enlisted leadership position it represented.
“That goal motivated me to work hard, learn everything I could and take my responsibilities seriously,” Hodges said.
He was promoted to sergeant in less than three years.
Hodges’ career took him to assignments around the world and eventually back to Fort Lee. From 2001 to 2003, he served with the 266th Quartermaster Battalion as a food service instructor and member of the battalion operations staff.
Throughout his career, Hodges said two mentors remained a huge inspiration to him, Command Sgt. Maj. Dwight Williams and Sergeant Maj. Willie Lee. Williams took the time to show Hodges what he needed to do to become eligible for promotion. Lee demonstrated how to be a leader Hodges would one day become.
Returning as an instructor gave Hodges an opportunity to pass on what he had learned to Soldiers beginning their own careers.
“It felt like my Army journey had come full circle,” Hodges said. “I had arrived at Fort Lee as a young Soldier learning my military occupation, and years later I returned as an experienced NCO responsible for preparing the next generation of Soldiers.”
Fort Lee also became a common thread among several relationships that continued long after their military assignments ended.
Hodges met retired Master Sgt. Roy Towns Jr. and retired Capt. Lenora Montgomery while stationed in Germany. The three later attended the Advanced Noncommissioned Officer Course together at Fort Lee in 2004.
He met Army veteran Kimberly (Short) Gavin while they were serving as food service instructors at Fort Lee.
The Soldiers went on to different assignments, deployments and careers, but remained connected.
“I consider myself the glue guy because I work to keep good people connected,” Hodges said. “When you meet genuinely good people, it is easy to keep them in your life.”
Those relationships eventually extended into their post-Army careers.
Hodges retired from active duty at Fort Eustis in 2008. He later worked in food service operations overseas and owned and operated a restaurant franchise in Virginia.
The move into civilian leadership required some adjustment.
“I had to understand the environment, communicate differently and give people time to develop,” Hodges said.
He found, however, that many of the skills developed during his Army career remained relevant, including accountability, preparation, teamwork and taking care of people.
In 2025, Hodges founded QM-IV Veteran Ventures and joined Towns, Montgomery and Gavin in a business venture. The group entered the sports drink industry, drawing on their backgrounds in food service, logistics, finance, training and leadership.
For Hodges, entrepreneurship offered another way to apply skills developed over more than two decades in uniform.
“I may have changed how I deliver my leadership, but the discipline, loyalty and commitment behind it will always be there,” he said.
Their business has also allowed them to bring in their extended military family, Hodges went on to add that the team includes their Social Media Manager, Reyna Towns, and his Assistant CEO Kimberly Cary.
“In the military, the people we serve beside often become family,” Hodges said. “Reyna is Roy Towns Jr.’s daughter and we served with Kimberly’s late husband Ned Cary in Wurzburg, Germany. Reyna and Kimberly’s involvement is a direct reflection of the extended military family behind our company.”
The shared experience is also something Hodges shares with Soldiers when he returns to Fort Lee.
Nearly 40 years after arriving here for training, he now sees Soldiers standing at the beginning of careers much like he once was.
“I take time to speak with them and share my story because I want them to benefit from the knowledge and experience I have gained,” Hodges said. “I love talking with Soldiers, and I will continue encouraging them and helping them navigate their careers whenever I have the opportunity.”
His message to Soldiers is to recognize that military service can provide skills and experiences that remain useful well beyond an Army career.
“I want them to be creative, use those tools wisely and believe in their own ideas,” Hodges said. “If they have an idea or a dream, they should put it into action.”
Hodges arrived at Fort Lee in 1987 to learn his military profession. He later returned to help train Soldiers and, decades later, continues to draw from the lessons and relationships developed during his Army career.
For the Soldiers training at Fort Lee today, Hodges’ path offers one example of where those experiences can lead after military service.