The Wall › Panel 10W › Illinois › William James Olson
WILLIAM JAMES OLSON
Staff Sergeant · U.S. Army
July 1, 1948 – May 13, 1970
Service recordWilliam James Olson, of Chicago, Illinois, served as a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army. He died on May 13, 1970, in Quang Ngai Province, South Vietnam, at age 21. His name is inscribed on Panel 10W, Line 35 of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.
On the Wall
Panel 10W · Line 35
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
Did you know him? Family members and friends are invited to share a photograph or a memory. Nothing is posted until it has been reviewed.
Service
- Branch
- U.S. Army
- Rank
- Staff Sergeant (SSG)
- Service
- Regular
- Occupation
- Infantryman (11B)
- Unit (as recorded)
- 11 LIGHT INF BDE
- Born
- July 1, 1948
- Home of record
- Chicago, Illinois (Cook County)
Casualty
- Date of death
- May 13, 1970
- Age
- 21
- Province
- Quang Ngai
- Country
- South Vietnam
- Casualty type
- Hostile
- Category
- Killed in Action
- Circumstance
- Burns/Smoke Inhalation
Context · from the records
What was happening
38 names on the Wall carry the date May 13, 1970; 14 of them were lost in Quảng Ngãi Province. In May 1970, 917 Americans whose names are on the Wall died in the war.
The 11th Light Infantry Brigade, his unit in the record, lost 28 of its members that month.
Also on Panel 10W, Line 35
- THOMAS W MATTHEWS JRFirst Lieutenant · May 13, 1970
- ALLEN ARTHUR MUNSONSpecialist Four · May 13, 1970
- DAVID ROBERTSON NASHStaff Sergeant · May 13, 1970
- WALTER MARK NOVAKSergeant · May 13, 1970
Same unit, same day
- EDWARD JOHN DELIKAT JRSpecialist Four · Panel 10W, Line 31
- RICHARD DAVID HUMPHREYSpecialist Four · Panel 10W, Line 33
- RHEA MARSHALL KIDDStaff Sergeant · Panel 10W, Line 34
- ALLEN ARTHUR MUNSONSpecialist Four · Panel 10W, Line 35
- VAN THOMAS WRAYSpecialist Four · Panel 10W, Line 36
- DAVID FRANCIS WINDERPrivate First Class · Panel 10W, Line 37
From Chicago
- MELVIN LESTER WATERSPrivate · February 10, 1965
- WILLIAM RALPH FUHRMANPetty Officer Third Class · April 23, 1965
- RAYMOND LEON HORNCorporal · May 1, 1965
- ARTHUR C JEPSON JRCaptain · May 16, 1965
- DONALD CLAY DEDMONStaff Sergeant · June 10, 1965
- ROGER PELIKANLance Corporal · July 17, 1965
- HARRY COHENTechnical Sergeant · July 19, 1969
- CURTIS LOCKHARTPrivate First Class · July 30, 1965
- EDWARD KOPECPrivate First Class · August 18, 1965
- JAMES LEO WHITELance Corporal · August 19, 1965
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.