Ralph LeCount Hodge, Colonel USAF (Ret.) of McKinney, Texas passed away on October 4, 2019, in Dallas, Texas. He was born August 8, 1931 in Washington, D.C. and lived there until he enlisted in the U.S. Army on March 12, 1951. Nine months after his enlistment, he began a tour of duty in Korea as a Forward Observer with an 8 millimeter mortar platoon. He participated in several major combat operations including Pork Chop Hill. In March of 1954 he was honorably discharged with the rank of Staff Sargent.
In 1954, Ralph enrolled at the University of Maryland-Eastern Shore and in 1958 he graduated with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Building Construction. While earning his degree he was concurrently a member and later Commander of the University's Air Force Reserve Officer Training Corps unit where he became a Distinguished Military Graduate and received a Commission as a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force.
He returned to active duty during the 1961 Berlin Crisis and for the next three decades served as a civil engineer officer in various command positions stateside and abroad. He was especially proud of serving as Commander of the Construction Unit (RED HORSE), Binh Thuy AB, the Republic of South Vietnam.
Ralph was promoted to Colonel after only 17 years of commissioned service; he retired on November 27, 1991 after more than 36 years of combined military service to the nation.
In addition to his Bachelors of Science in Building Construction, University of Maryland and a Masters of Arts in Management, Central Michigan University, Colonel Hodge is a graduate of the National Defense University - the Industrial College of the Armed Forces, the Air Force Command and Staff College, and the Air Force Institute of Technology.
Colonel Hodge was the recipient of the following military decorations: The Combat Infantryman Badge, Legion of Merit (3) Bronze Star Medal with "V" Device for Valor, the Bronze Star Medal for Meritorious Service, Purple Heart Medal, (2) National Defense Service Medal (2) Korean Service Medal, Republic of Vietnam, Campaign Medal, United Nations Service Medal, Republic of South Korea Presidential Unit Citation, Vietnam, Armed Forces Honor Medal 1st Class and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross.
Ralph has been recognized with many personal achievements, and was included in Who's Who Among Black Americans. He is also a Fellow and Past President of both the Colorado Springs and San Francisco Posts of Society of American Military Engineers. The University of Maryland-Eastern Shore recognized him as a member of the Athletic Hall of Fame, the Academic Hall of Excellence and a recipient of the Alumni of the Year Award in 1981.
Colonel Hodge and his late wife, Julia, had four children, Nicole, Christopher, Matthew, and Ralph; three grandchildren, Lark, Lexington, and Ashlyn; and two great-grandchildren, Sky and Isaiah.
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