The Wall › Panel 59E › Minnesota › Kenneth Lee Olson
KENNETH LEE OLSON
Specialist Four · U.S. Army
May 26, 1945 – May 13, 1968
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Kenneth Lee Olson, of Paynesville, Minnesota, served as a Specialist Four in the U.S. Army. He died on May 13, 1968, in Long An Province, South Vietnam, at age 22. His name is inscribed on Panel 59E, Line 28 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
Medal of Honor · awarded posthumously
For conspicuous gallantry
Kenneth Lee Olson received the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest award for valor, for his actions on May 13, 1968. The official citation reads:
Specialist Olson's official Medal of Honor citation reads:
For conspicuous gallantry and intrepidity in action at the risk of his life above and beyond the call of duty. Spec. Olson distinguished himself at the cost of his life while serving as a team leader with Company A. Spec. Olson was participating in a mission to reinforce a reconnaissance platoon which was heavily engaged with a well-entrenched Viet Cong force. When his platoon moved into the area of contact and had overrun the first line of enemy bunkers, Spec. Olson and a fellow soldier moved forward of the platoon to investigate another suspected line of bunkers. As the 2 men advanced they were pinned down by intense automatic weapons fire from an enemy position 10 meters to their front. With complete disregard for his safety, Spec. Olson exposed himself and hurled a hand grenade into the Viet Cong position. Failing to silence the hostile fire, he again exposed himself to the intense fire in preparation to assault the enemy position. As he prepared to hurl the grenade, he was wounded, causing him to drop the activated device within his own position. Realizing that it would explode immediately, Spec. Olson threw himself upon the grenade and pulled it in to his body to take the full force of the explosion. By this unselfish action Spec. Olson sacrificed his own life to save the lives of his fellow comrades-in-arms. His extraordinary heroism inspired his fellow soldiers to renew their efforts and totally defeat the enemy force. Spec. Olson's profound courage and intrepidity were in keeping with the highest traditions of the military service and reflect great credit upon himself, his unit, and the U.S. Army.
Citation text as reproduced in Wikipedia’s article on Kenneth Lee Olson; Medal of Honor citations are official U.S. government records. See also the Congressional Medal of Honor Society and all Medal of Honor recipients on the Wall.
On the Wall
Panel 59E · Line 28
Names are inscribed in the order of loss, starting at Panel 1E at the apex and ending at Panel 1W. At the Memorial, find the panel number at the base and count down from the top line.
Remember
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Service
- Branch
- U.S. Army
- Rank
- Specialist Four (SP4)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Infantryman (11B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 199 LIGHT INF BDE
- Born
- May 26, 1945
- Home of record
- Paynesville, Minnesota (Stearns County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- May 13, 1968
- Age
- 22
- Province
- Long An
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Grenade
Context · from the records
What was happening
101 names on the Wall carry the date May 13, 1968; nine of them were lost in Long An Province. In May 1968, 2,418 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 199th Light Infantry Brigade, his unit in the record, lost 41 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 59E, Line 28
- RICHARD DALE MCGOVERNPrivate First Class · May 13, 1968
- PATRICK VICTOR MCNEARNEYPrivate First Class · May 13, 1968
- EARL JEFFREY NETZOWSpecialist Four · May 13, 1968
- TIMOTHY JOSEPH NODENSergeant · May 13, 1968
Same unit, same day
- RICHARD DALE MCGOVERNPrivate First Class · Panel 59E, Line 28
- CHARLES H SANDBERGSergeant First Class · Panel 60E, Line 2
From Paynesville
- LAWRENCE NORMAN WELKSpecialist Four · May 23, 1967
- DARWIN CLIFFORD STURTZCorporal · May 31, 1968
Source. U.S. Department of Defense, Defense Casualty Analysis System, Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File (as of April 29, 2008), Records of the Office of the Secretary of Defense, Record Group 330, National Archives (NAID 2240992). Panel and line as recorded in that file. The Medal of Honor citation above is the official account of his actions. See something wrong? Report a correction.