Richard L. Dick Hodson went home to be with the Lord on July 11, 2009. He was born in Iowa on December 17, 1945 to Chester and Evelyn Hodson. Richard is survived by his wife, Debbie; son Tye & Sabine Hodson, Denver CO; daughter Kendra & CJ Cress & two grandchildren, Jadyn Cress, Jordan Wunder, Wentzville, MO; three sisters: Doris & Ted Dimmitt, Barbara Means, Shirley & Danny Mick; step-children: Stephanie and Keith Hoover. The family invites Richards friends to help celebrate his life with them at Shorthorns Restaurant, 22917 W 83rd St Lenexa, KS, Thursday July 16th 1:00 to 4:00 PM. Family requests donations to Hospice Care of Kansas 15329 West 95th St Lenexa, KS 66219 and VFW, De Soto, KS in lieu of flowers.
Published in Topeka Capital-Journal on July 13, 2009
Something this post has failed to point out is Richard's military service. Richard spent five years in the navy. He spent his first tour of duty on a research (aka spy) ship that was the sister ship to the USS Pueblo that was captured by North Korea. When he was home on leave shortly after the incident I ask if he thought they were in international or North Korean territorial waters. He said he wouldn't speculate, but said they had steamed two hundred miles up the Yellow River into Red China. He let me draw my own conclusions.
He was graced to spend the remainder of his navy career as a navy seal on the lovely rivers of Viet Nam. Just before his enlistment was due to end, and while still in Viet Nam the navy gave him the choice to re-up for another year, and receive a $10,000.00 signing bonus, and he could go home on leave, then return for another tour, or to not re-up and the navy would freeze him in place extend his tour, and he would not go home and would not get a bonus, but one way or the other he "would" spend another year in paradise. The choice was his. He made the logical decision, and when he home on leave he showed me pictures of one boat that was literally blown out from under him, it was unrecognizable as a boat; another that was shot to ribbons, and a third that had a bullet hole through the back of the seat he was in manning a fifty caliber machine gun, he said he was only out of that seat one time for about thirty seconds during the whole fire fight.He was the only survivor of these three boat crews. He wasn't real anxious to return to paradise. On his last tour he spent as much time in the rice paddies of Cambodia (now how could that be? we all know we never entered Cambodia) as he did on the rivers of Viet Nam.
I think he earned an American flag beside his Inline Image Not Displayed profile!
Richard Hodsen was a great freind. I was a year behind him in high school and was going over to Vietnam about the time he was coming home from his last tour.
We worked together for many years after our military service had ended for us both. I worked for Falley's & Food 4 Less Supermarkets and he worked for Mass Merchandisers, a company who supplied us with most of our non-food merchandise. Richard was one of the most professional yet easy going individuals I have ever worked with. He always went that "extra mile" when needed.
We spent some quality time discussing our military tours among other things. Thankfully, mine was not nearly as "exciting" as his. I spent one tour in South Vietnam and that was mostly in the Port City of Quinyon. That was a "deep water port" off the Red China Sea and we were inter-mingled with the Navy ships in port & the "Patrol Boats Riverine" (PBRs) that Richard was serving on; I was a Military Policeman in the Army. The commonality was due to the fact that we were all involved with constantly securing & maintaining the integrity of the, Port, Quarter Master's Warehouses, Suply line & the ships there in Port. All U.S. supplies, including those coming from the Republic of South Korea, came through the Port of Quinyon, bound for the Korean troops (ROKs) as well as our, Army, Navy, Air Force & Marines stationed & serving in, "Beautiful & Senic" Southern Vietnam.
As stated earlier in these tributes, I found that Richard Hodson was one of the most modest gentlemen you could ever hope to meet. Especially regarding all the things he acomplished & endured while serving as a Navy SEAL in the late 60's. I will always have good memories of Richard, W. Kent Laughman Class of '64
Warren Hummer
Richard L. Dick Hodson went home to be with the Lord on July 11, 2009. He was born in Iowa on December 17, 1945 to Chester and Evelyn Hodson. Richard is survived by his wife, Debbie; son Tye & Sabine Hodson, Denver CO; daughter Kendra & CJ Cress & two grandchildren, Jadyn Cress, Jordan Wunder, Wentzville, MO; three sisters: Doris & Ted Dimmitt, Barbara Means, Shirley & Danny Mick; step-children: Stephanie and Keith Hoover. The family invites Richards friends to help celebrate his life with them at Shorthorns Restaurant, 22917 W 83rd St Lenexa, KS, Thursday July 16th 1:00 to 4:00 PM. Family requests donations to Hospice Care of Kansas 15329 West 95th St Lenexa, KS 66219 and VFW, De Soto, KS in lieu of flowers.
Glenn Perry
Something this post has failed to point out is Richard's military service. Richard spent five years in the navy. He spent his first tour of duty on a research (aka spy) ship that was the sister ship to the USS Pueblo that was captured by North Korea. When he was home on leave shortly after the incident I ask if he thought they were in international or North Korean territorial waters. He said he wouldn't speculate, but said they had steamed two hundred miles up the Yellow River into Red China. He let me draw my own conclusions.
He was graced to spend the remainder of his navy career as a navy seal on the lovely rivers of Viet Nam. Just before his enlistment was due to end, and while still in Viet Nam the navy gave him the choice to re-up for another year, and receive a $10,000.00 signing bonus, and he could go home on leave, then return for another tour, or to not re-up and the navy would freeze him in place extend his tour, and he would not go home and would not get a bonus, but one way or the other he "would" spend another year in paradise. The choice was his. He made the logical decision, and when he home on leave he showed me pictures of one boat that was literally blown out from under him, it was unrecognizable as a boat; another that was shot to ribbons, and a third that had a bullet hole through the back of the seat he was in manning a fifty caliber machine gun, he said he was only out of that seat one time for about thirty seconds during the whole fire fight.He was the only survivor of these three boat crews. He wasn't real anxious to return to paradise. On his last tour he spent as much time in the rice paddies of Cambodia (now how could that be? we all know we never entered Cambodia) as he did on the rivers of Viet Nam.
I think he earned an American flag beside his
Inline Image Not Displayed
profile!
W. Kent Laughman
Richard Hodsen was a great freind. I was a year behind him in high school and was going over to Vietnam about the time he was coming home from his last tour.
We worked together for many years after our military service had ended for us both. I worked for Falley's & Food 4 Less Supermarkets and he worked for Mass Merchandisers, a company who supplied us with most of our non-food merchandise. Richard was one of the most professional yet easy going individuals I have ever worked with. He always went that "extra mile" when needed.
We spent some quality time discussing our military tours among other things. Thankfully, mine was not nearly as "exciting" as his. I spent one tour in South Vietnam and that was mostly in the Port City of Quinyon. That was a "deep water port" off the Red China Sea and we were inter-mingled with the Navy ships in port & the "Patrol Boats Riverine" (PBRs) that Richard was serving on; I was a Military Policeman in the Army. The commonality was due to the fact that we were all involved with constantly securing & maintaining the integrity of the, Port, Quarter Master's Warehouses, Suply line & the ships there in Port. All U.S. supplies, including those coming from the Republic of South Korea, came through the Port of Quinyon, bound for the Korean troops (ROKs) as well as our, Army, Navy, Air Force & Marines stationed & serving in, "Beautiful & Senic" Southern Vietnam.
As stated earlier in these tributes, I found that Richard Hodson was one of the most modest gentlemen you could ever hope to meet. Especially regarding all the things he acomplished & endured while serving as a Navy SEAL in the late 60's. I will always have good memories of Richard, W. Kent Laughman Class of '64