Warrior of the Week: Ken Dodd

  • Published
  • By Airman Derek VanHorn
  • 319th Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
GRAND FORKS AIR FORCE BASE, N.D. --  Since Grand Forks Air Force Base was established in 1956, many events, people, and changes have come and gone. It may seem a daunting task to trace the history of 55 years, but one man, Ken Dodd, 319th Air Refueling Wing historian, works diligently to do exactly that.

The Arizona native spends his hours at GFAFB researching and coming up with the diverse history of the base to publish information and answer all the tough questions regarding it.

"This job was unexpected, but I knew I would like it," said Dodd. "I love history; I knew I could do a job like this after learning what would be required."

It is fitting that Dodd would not only work with history, but also on an Air Force base. He served 27 years in the Air Force both active duty and reserved, enlisted and commissioned, retiring as a Major.

"I had two reasons to join the Air Force," said Dodd. "The first was that I had three brothers already serving, and the second was to take advantage of the education assistance available."

Dodd exercised that option to the maximum, as he first earned two bachelor's degrees. He later went on to achieve two additional master's degrees; one in Political History and the other in Human Resource Management.

All of that education has been helpful to the success of Dodd's career, and he hopes to continue to use it in the future. He would someday like to write and publish his own non-fiction book or novel.

Dodd encourages all military members to take advantage of schooling options available. Having also taught as a civilian for seven years, Dodd sees where he believes the American education system could use some adjustment.

"I'd like to see us get away from making every student complete a certain amount of general education classes," he said. "It would help to match students to training that directly related to jobs in their preferred career fields. Not everyone is going to go to college."

Outside of the classroom, office, and when the weather is ideal, Dodd loves to get outside and play golf for fun.

"When you get a group of three or four guys together that you're comfortable with, the score doesn't even matter," he said. "I like to play to find things I can improve on every time I go. You just enjoy your time out there and check scores at the end."

Aside from just playing, Dodd likes to watch the controversial but talented Tiger Woods compete.

"He's good for the sport," said Dodd. "These other golfers want to beat him so bad that it makes the competition that much better."

More golf and travel is in the foreseeable future for Dodd, as he would like to visit Europe and the South Pacific islands with his wife of nearly 22 years following retirement.

A career dream and goal for Dodd may keep him working even after retirement. He would like to earn his PhD in American History. While that remains a likely option, you can be sure his radio is blasting classic rock on his way to work every morning.

"Not classical music," Dodd laughed. "Classic rock; there is a big difference. It was the music of my generation."

Dodd also enjoys reading sports articles, watching football, and learning as much about history as he humanly can.