He hasn’t driven a car in 20 years. His memory’s bad.
He has awful seizures.
Sometimes it’s just one, but they can come in waves of two, three, or more in a row. If they come fast enough, his wife, Jane, has to call an ambulance to take him to the hospital. Dodd says he’s been hospitalized twice this year and in 2022 suffered dozens of seizure events that resulted in three hospitalizations. His wife takes videos documenting the convulsing and pain that can last three or four minutes, with some exceeding that.
Dodd, now 77, entered the service in 1964 as an auto mechanic at the U.S. Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune in North Carolina. His younger and older brothers served on base, too, though they didn’t see each other much.
Dodd served until 1970. In the 1990s, he started having headaches so severe he would pass out. Then, in about 2000, he started suffering seizures and saw a neurologist who tried medication.
Around 2003, he received a letter from the U.S. Navy telling him he and others who served at Camp Lejeune may have ailments from contaminated drinking water. He filed a claim, just as the VA said he should, but was awarded just 40% of his eligible benefit for hearing loss.
Dodd’s brothers also suffered. In 2012, his youngest brother died of Parkinson’s Disease, one of the potential problems from ingesting the water, according to the VA. Six years earlier, his older brother committed suicide.
Dodd’s seizures continued, and finally, about 10 years ago, his doctor diagnosed him with neurological movement disorder, which causes increased or slowing movements, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Since then, he’s filed multiple claims in an effort to get the benefits he believes he deserves. Sadly, he isn’t alone. CNN reported that as of 2022, thousands of people who served at Camp Lejeune still have claims pending.
Dodd received his most recent bad news in March when a government doctor denied him full benefits again. He’ll appeal but thought, “How much longer is this going to take? Five or six months? Well, I’ll try to stay alive.”
For now, Dodd and his wife make choices no veteran should. For example, they cut back on seeking emergency care because they’re billed $260 every time they call an ambulance.
So Dodd keeps fighting, hoping the country that’s admitted his service could have made him sick pays him the benefits he’s due. He has a new hearing on July 6. Maybe this one will be different.
Still, through the health issues and denials, Dodd remains fiercely patriotic.
On July 4, he’ll awake at 5 a.m. to take his anti-seizure medication. His wife will drive him to the Tipp City Fourth of July Parade, where Dodd, dressed in his well-pressed uniform, will proudly ride in one of the vehicles beginning at 9 a.m.
Each year, people stand, clap, and cheer as Dodd rides by. Sometimes he tears up.
“These people that stand up for me, I guess, they feel the same way I do. It shows me they still believe in liberty and justice, and freedom. Just like I do. It does mean a lot to me.”
Independence Day is not about fireworks, picnics, and cookouts. It’s about everyone who has sacrificed to keep this country free.
When you’re eating a hot dog under freedom’s skies, please think of Dodd and the people like him. Better yet, if you see him at the parade, stand longer and cheer louder for a man who’s lost so much and seeks so little.
Ray Marcano’s column appears on these pages each Sunday, He can be reached at raymarcanoddn@gmail.com.
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