Hundreds pay respects

to Garland man killed in Afghanistan

By Nick McCrea
BDN Staff

            EXETER, Maine — Hundreds of friends, family members, colleagues and complete strangers paid their final respects Wednesday to a Maine man whose lifelong passion for serving and protecting people was “part of his DNA.”  

            Corey Dodge, 40, was killed Aug. 22 in Kabul, Afghanistan, when a car bomb exploded during a terrorist attack on his convoy. An Army veteran, he had been working for the past nine years as a private security contractor with DynCorp International, spending much of his time training Afghan police and security personnel.

Ashley L. Conti

LEADING THE WAY — Members of the Patriot Guard Riders lead the way during the funeral procession for Corey Dodge, a contract worker killed in Afghanistan. The procession went from Cornerstone Baptist Church in Exeter to the Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Dexter on Wednesday.

            Mourners filled the main auditorium at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Exeter. An overflow chapel was opened to accommodate dozens of others who watched the service on a projection screen.  

            Roger Davis, who serves as chaplain for Maine State Police, presided over the service.

            “We’ve lost a husband, father, son, colleague, friend, a patriot, a man who was living in the prime of his life,” Davis said. Dodge “dedicated his life to protecting the innocent,” he added.     

            Family members said after the service that they want people to know and remember Dodge, who was born in Dover-Foxcroft and graduated from Dexter Regional High School. He is survived by his wife, Kelli Dodge of Garland, and their four children.

            “This is more than I would have ever expected,” Dodge’s mother, Letha Dodge, said after the ceremony when asked what she thought of the support the family has had in the wake of her son’s death. “It’s wonderful knowing the love and care people have showed Corey and all of us.”

            Dodge loved his family more than anything. Next in line was his country, friends said.

            “In the depths of his person, in the core of his sole, Corey was a warrior … wired from the womb to protect the defenseless,” Davis said.

            Before serving in Afghanistan, Dodge worked in the Maine State Prison and as an officer with the Dexter Police Department before joining the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.  

            Larry Hesseltine was Dodge’s supervisor when the two were with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office. He now is an officer at the Waldoboro Police Department.

            Hesseltine said Dodge was an “old-school cop” with the “courage of a lion.” He also had a softer side. Hesseltine recalled being dispatched to a call involving an upset elderly woman. Hesseltine couldn’t remember the details of the call, but did remember what Dodge did after meeting the distraught woman. He said Dodge got out of the cruiser and said to the woman, “You look like you could use a hug,” before embracing her.

            “He had a special way with people, and people respected him for it,” Hesseltine said.

            Members of law enforcement from Penobscot, Piscataquis, Knox and Washington counties, and Maine State Police, among others, attended. Multiple fire departments lent support as well, with ladder trucks suspending a large American Flag over Stetson Road.

            Dodge had planned to join the Maine State Police as a trooper after returning from his service in Afghanistan.

            Richard “Buzz” Minor, president of DynCorp International, the security firm Dodge worked for, also spoke during the funeral. The company also sent its vice president.

            After the funeral, a procession made up of more than 50 motorcycles and about as many emergency and personal vehicles wove its way from Exeter to Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Dexter. People along the route came out of their homes and businesses to honor Dodge and his family. Many displayed American flags.  

           The Patriot Riders of America, a volunteer group of motorcyclists dedicated to helping and honoring veterans, led the procession.

           Spring Street Greenhouse and Floral Shop in Dexter spelled out “Thank you Corey Dodge for your service” on its signboard. A group of day care children watched and waved flags as the convoy passed.

           “As a father, as a brother, as a son, he was just loved,” Dodge’s sister Hollie Dodge said after the funeral.

Follow Nick McCrea on Twitter at @nmccrea213.

 Ashley L. Conti

PAYS FINAL RESPECTS — Kelli Dodge (kneeling) pays her final respects to her husband, Corey Dodge, a contract worker killed in Afghanistan, at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Dexter on Wednesday.

 Ashley L. Conti

DEXTER HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL — Members of the Dexter High School football team pay their respects during the funeral for Corey Dodge, a contract worker killed in Afghanistan, of Cornerstone Baptist Church in Exeter on Wednesday.

 Ashley L. Conti

WIPING A TEAR — Waldoboro police officer Larry Hesseltine wipes away a tear during Corey Dodge’s funeral at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Exeter on Wednesday. Dodge was a contract worker who was killed in Afghanistan.

 Ashley L. Conti

PATRIOT GUARD — A member of the Patriot Guard Riders wipes a tear from her eyes during the burial for Corey Dodge, a contract worker killed in Afghanistan, at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Dexter on Wednesday.

 Ashley L. Conti

EMERGENCY RESPONDERS — Local emergency responders pay their respects during the funeral for Corey Dodge, a contract worker killed in Afghanistan, at Cornerstone Baptist Church in Exeter on Wednesday.

 Ashley L. Conti

FLAG PRESENTED — Kelli Dodge (second from left) is presented a flag during the burial for her husband, Corey Dodge, at Mt. Pleasant Cemetery in Dexter.