Dodge, Edward Ray
Army Sergeant 1st class
Edward Ray Dodge, age 31, from Norfolk County Norfolk, Virginia .
Service era: Vietnam
Date of death: Thursday, December 31, 1964
Death details: On December 31, 1964, an O-1F Bird Dog (tail number 2823) carrying two crew members disappeared while en route from Da Nang to the A Shau Valley, while conducting a visual reconnaissance mission along the border with Laos. The radar control tower at Da Nang last made radio contact with the aircraft minutes after taking off at 0815 hours. Shortly after, the pilot of another O-1F aircraft last made visual contact with Tail # 57-2823 as it turned back in the direction of Da Nang apparently due to bad weather. The Bird Dog failed to arrive at Da Nang, or any friendly airbase in the region. Extensive aerial search efforts were conducted over seven days and 150,000 reward leaflets were dropped, but no trace of the aircraft or crew was found. Sergeant First Class (SFC) Edward Ray Dodge entered the U.S. Army from Virginia and was a member of Detachment C-1, 5th Special Forces Group. He was the observer aboard an O-1F when it disappeared, and he was lost with the aircraft. He remains unaccounted-for. After the incident, the Army promoted SFC Dodge to the rank of Sergeant Major (SGM). Today, Sergeant Major Dodge is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific.
Source: National Archives, Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency
