Man Surprised By Battle Buddy After More Than 10 Years

A U.S. veteran could not believe his eyes when he opened his front door to discover his battle buddy from Iraq, who had traveled across the country to surprise him on his birthday. Other than a brief one-hour crossover in 2010, Shawn Dodd and best friend Jesse Burr had not spent time with each other since they served in 2003. Back then, Shawn, 43, was a staff sergeant with the U.S. Army's 4th Infantry Division, 1-12 Infantry, when he met fellow staff sergeant Jesse, 49. Shawn and Jesse both lost their commander and close friend in action, and for the years that followed their service, they kept in touch to help one another with the loss. In 2019, Jesse sent Shawn a handmade wooden U.S. flag to celebrate his time in the military, which Shawn says is so special to him that it would be the first thing he would save in a house fire. It had always been Jesse's aim to travel from his Tehachapi, California home to surprise Shawn in Vancouver, Washington, and with the help of Shawn's son, Caleb, that visit became possible.