Command Sergeant Major Jerry Dodson Jr., is a native of Elsmore, Kansas. He enlisted in the U.S. Army on June 28, 1995, and attended One Station Unit Training at Fort Benning, Georgia.
He has served in a number of assignments throughout his career including Rifleman, Team Leader, Section Leader and Platoon Sergeant with 3rd Ranger Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, Fort Benning, Georgia, and Senior Military Instructor, ROTC, at Marshall University, Huntington, West Virginia. Moving to Fort Riley, Kansas, he served first as First Sergeant for Headquarters and Headquarters Company; then Company C, 2nd Battalion, 16th Infantry Regiment; next as First Sergeant for C Troop, 1st Squadron, 4th Cavalry Regiment; and lastly Battalion Operations Sergeant Major, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment. He was next reassigned as Battalion Operations Sergeant Major, 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, Fort Carson, Colorado. He then served as Command Sergeant Major for 5th Ranger Training Battalion, Camp Merrill, Georgia; U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Polk, Louisiana; 1st Security Forces Assistance Brigade, Fort Benning; and Command Sergeant Major, U.S. Army Japan, Camp Zama, Japan. He has deployed five times to Afghanistan and four times to Iraq. He assumed his present duties on April 2023.
CSM Dodson's awards and decorations include the Legion of Merit (2 OLC), Bronze Star Medal with three oak leaf clusters, Meritorious Service Medal with six oak leaf clusters, Army Commendation Medal with one oak leaf cluster, Army Achievement Medal with four oak leaf clusters, Army Good Conduct Medal (8th award), National Defense Service Medal (2nd Award), Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Afghanistan Campaign Medal with three campaign stars, Iraq Campaign Medal with three campaign stars, Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal with arrowhead device, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, Noncommissioned Officer Professional Development Ribbon with numeral 5 device, NATO Service Medal (Afghanistan), Army Service Ribbon, Overseas Service Ribbon, Joint Meritorious Unit Award, Valorous Unit Award, Meritorious Unit Award with one oak leaf cluster, and Army Superior Unit Award. He also holds the Ranger Tab, Combat Infantryman Badge, Expert Infantryman's Badge, Pathfinder Badge, Master Parachutist Badge with Combat Jump Device, Air Assault Badge, German Parachutist Badge, and the Order of St. Maurice (Centurion).
The Command Sergeant Major also earned an associate degree in General Studies from Marshall University, Bachelor of Science from Excelsior College, and Master of Management (Organizational Leadership), also from Excelsior College.