First Lt. Carl H. Dodd, Medal of Honor
Laurel County, Laurel County, Kentucky
Marker Inscription
First Lt. Carl H. Dodd (1925-1996). This Medal of Honor recipient was born in Harlan Co. Dodd served with Co. E, 5th Regimental Combat Team, U.S. Army. He was awarded the medal for heroic action in the Korean War for capture of Hill 256, a key terrain, with utter disregard for his safety, January 1951, near Subuk, Korea. (Reverse) Medal of Honor Winner - President Harry S. Truman presented Carl H. Dodd with this award in May 1951. He achieved the rank of major before retiring from the U.S. Army on June 30, 1965. He lived in Laurel County the last 33 years of his life. Died on October 13, 1996. Presented by VFW Post 3167, Williamsburg; VFW Post 3302, London; VFW District 11; DAV Chapter 158, Keavy; John C. Karr; and Walter Setzer.
Erected by Kentucky Historical Society
The Story
Carl H. Dodd, born in Harlan County, Kentucky, served with Company E, 5th Regimental Combat Team in the Korean War. In January 1951, near Subuk, he led the capture of Hill 256, a key piece of terrain, with what the citation called "utter disregard for his safety." President Harry S. Truman presented him the Medal of Honor in May 1951; Dodd rose to major before retiring in 1965 and spent his last decades in Laurel County.
Why it matters
Dodd's valor honors the Kentuckians who fought in the Korean War, a conflict sometimes called "forgotten" but decisive in the Cold War contest on the Korean peninsula.
Own a business near here? Add it to the map.
Related people
- · Carl H. Dodd
- · Harry S. Truman
Related events
- · Korean War capture of Hill 256
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
Bragg's Retreat to Tennessee
Laurel County, KY
After the bloody Battle of Perryville in October 1862, Confederate General Braxton Bragg gathered his forces and began withdrawing southward, ending the Confederacy's bid to hold Kentucky. Union General Don Carlos Buell pursued as far as this point in Laurel County before deciding further pursuit was not worthwhile. Bragg's army continued on, passing through the Cumberland Gap in late October.
Birthplace of Kentucky Fried Chicken
Laurel County, KY
In 1932 a 42-year-old Harland Sanders bought a small roadside restaurant near this Laurel County site, where he combined good cooking, relentless work, and a showman's flair to win regional fame for his fried chicken. Experimenting endlessly, he perfected the recipe and cooking method that would become world famous. When a planned federal bypass threatened his business in 1956, the undaunted 'Colonel,' by then 66, sold up and hit the road selling his seasoning and franchise—launching what grew into the world's largest food-service system.
Sue Bennett College
London, KY
Opened in 1897 and named for a Madison County promoter, the Sue Bennett Memorial School was founded by local people and the Methodist church to educate the children of the Kentucky mountains. It taught all grades and evolved through a commercial department, a normal school, and by 1922 a junior college. Over a full century it educated more than 11,000 students before closing in 1997.
Battle of London
London, KY
On August 17, 1862, Confederate Colonel John S. Scott led 500 cavalry against roughly 200 Union soldiers and 98 convalescents under Colonel L. C. Houk at London. The lopsided fight cost the Union thirteen killed, seventeen wounded, and over a hundred captured along with forty wagons, while Scott lost only a handful of men. Driven back to George W. Morgan's main force at Cumberland Gap, Houk's defeat helped sever Union supply lines and set the stage for Morgan's long retreat to Ohio.