Sergeant Dodson was a member of Company A, 1st Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. He developed severe dysentery at Wonju, South Korea and was taken to the 11th Evacuation Hospital and died on 21 May 1951.

Dodson was awarded the Combat Infantryman Badge, the Korean Service Medal, the United Nations Service Medal, the National Defense Service Medal, the Korean Presidential Unit Citation and the Republic of Korea War Service Medal.