Sgt. Jeffrey Bruns Dodge

Yonkers, NY

Vietnam War 1970

The young serviceman was killed at war the day before he was expected to return home. Jeffrey Bruns Dodge had been engaged and knew that lengthening his last tour would be beneficial to himself and his fiancé. His plan was to go home after his term of service was up, start his life, have his wife and never return to Vietnam.

Jeffrey was the older brother of Ms. Melissa Frey an English teacher here at Coginchaug. Ms. Frey’s other brother, Henry Temple (Pete) Dodge, was a Navy pilot; he survived three tours in Vietnam. Jeffrey knew that it was better to enlist then to be drafted; he had more of a choice as to where he would end up. He ended up in the Army’s Engineering Battalion.  The day before he was supposed to return the unthinkable happened. Jeffrey was sitting in his office, which was located near the airfields, filing papers, when the airbase went under mortar attack. He was killed instantly. It took a week for his remains to come home. While waiting for his body an army liaison stayed with Ms. Frey and her family in Yonkers, NY. He kept them updated on what was happening and how transport was progressing. Jeffrey was buried on the day of the Kent State Massacre, May 4, 1970.

Now forty-five years later Jeffrey’s fraternity brothers from The University of Dubuque, in Iowa, are dedicating the Veterans Center to him. They are naming it the “Jeffrey Bruns Dodge Memorial Veterans Center”. “When I

teach Heros we watch a  film called ‘Born on the fourth of July’,” said Ms. Frey. The movie is a biography about Ron Kovica, Ron was a paraplegic marine who was put into a veterans hospital and was treated poorly. He felt as if he was betrayed by his country that he fought for. Ms. Frey is grateful that her brother didn’t have to endure the poor treatment veterans received when they returned home. “It’s a shame that the government didn’t do more to help veterans families,” said Ms. Frey. “If the government sends you over there they have the responsibility and moral obligation to help veterans and their families when they come home and not rely on the private sector [for help]”.