The Wall › Panel 33W › Minnesota › Robert Eugene Olson
ROBERT EUGENE OLSON
Major · U.S. Air Force
October 26, 1936 – February 5, 1969
Service recordRobert Eugene Olson, of St Paul, Minnesota, served as a Major in the U.S. Air Force. He died on February 5, 1969, in Laos, at age 32. His name is inscribed on Panel 33W, Line 67 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 33W · Line 67
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. Air Force
- Rank
- Major (MAJ)
- Service
- Regular
- Unit (as recorded)
- 7 AF
- Born
- October 26, 1936
- Home of record
- St Paul, Minnesota (Ramsey County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- February 5, 1969
- Age
- 32
- Country
- Laos
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Unknown
Context · from the records
What was happening
50 names on the Wall carry the date February 5, 1969. In February 1969, 1,304 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The unit recorded as “7 AF”, his unit in the record, lost 11 of its members that month.
He died in Laos while the air war over Laos was under way. From 1964 to 1973, U.S. aircraft bombed the Ho Chi Minh Trail and supported the war in northern Laos; many of the Americans lost over Laos were never recovered.
Read the history
On the Wall
Also on Panel 33W, Line 67
- HARRY TILLMAN NIGGLELieutenant Colonel · February 5, 1969
- THOMAS PATRICK NOONAN JRLance Corporal · February 5, 1969
- JOHN EDWARD NORDELL JRSpecialist Four · February 5, 1969
- CHARLES ROBERT OSTEENStaff Sergeant · February 5, 1969
Same unit, same day
- WALTER FRANCIS BURKECaptain · Panel 33W, Line 61
- LOUIS JOHN CLEVERTechnical Sergeant · Panel 33W, Line 61
- JAMES VERNON DORSEY JRStaff Sergeant · Panel 33W, Line 61
- WILTON NEIL HATTONMaster Sergeant · Panel 33W, Line 64
- RODNEY HERSCHEL GOTTStaff Sergeant · Panel 33W, Line 65
- HOMER MORGAN LYNN JRMajor · Panel 33W, Line 65
- CLARENCE LEON MCNEILLSergeant · Panel 33W, Line 66
- HARRY TILLMAN NIGGLELieutenant Colonel · Panel 33W, Line 67
- HUGH LESLIE SHERBURNTechnical Sergeant · Panel 33W, Line 69
From St Paul
- RAYMOND CHARLES WILDEChief Warrant Officer 2 · January 11, 1963
- DAVID MICHAEL HALBAUERStaff Sergeant · October 13, 1965
- JOHN CALVIN ELZY IIIPrivate First Class · November 16, 1965
- ROBERT E WALDVOGELSpecialist Four · November 17, 1965
- ARLIN ROGER JENSENSpecialist Four · November 19, 1965
- JOHN WALTER WILSON JRPrivate First Class · December 10, 1965
- KALE ARLAN SOLBERGPrivate First Class · February 1, 1966
- JOSEPH SAMUEL HERRONPrivate First Class · March 4, 1966
- DAVID JOSEPH KERNPrivate First Class · April 1, 1966
- LAVERN GEORGE REILLYColonel · May 15, 1966
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. This page presents the official record and its historical context; no biography has been written for him yet. See something wrong? Report a correction.