Dodson is a retired Marine Corporal who was serving a tour in Iraq on Valentine’s Day 2007 when he was struck by a grenade tossed into the second-story room where he was staying
The blast took off Dodson’s left leg at the hip and right leg below the knee
For his service in combat, Dodson was awarded a Purple Heart
Dodson, while a student at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, became involved in a variety of adaptive sports soon after his accident
He competed in wheelchair track through UI’s wheelchair athletics program, and he has completed multiple wheelchair marathons and half-marathons.