Donald Olson
Four years after the end of WWII, Donald graduated from high school in 1949 and started the Olson brothers’ tradition of serving in the military. He signed up for the U.S. Air Force in 1950. He was sent to Lackland Air Force Base in Texas for basic training. He later was assigned to Kiesler AFB and performed maintenance duties on airborne radar used for air cadet training. While at Kiesler, Donald had the chance to see a celebrity.
“Bob Hope did a USO show on the base,” said Donald. “It was a pretty good show.”
Donald left the USAF in 1952 and returned to Waseca, married, and worked as a television repairman. He later worked in several different cities and ended up at the North Dakota State School of Electronics as an instructor.
“I was able to use my military training to teach students electronics,” said Donald. “Many vocational instructors don’t have formal college training; their job experience provides the training.”
In 1995, Donald retired. He and his wife purchased a motor home and traveled around the country for seven years. He now calls Savage, MN home.
Roger Olson
Roger, the second oldest of the Olson brothers, graduated from New Richland-Hartland High School in 1952. He entered the Army, serving during both the Korean and Vietnam Wars, and retired after 30 years service as a Warrant Officer in the Intelligence Field.
“The first 17 years I was in the artillery,” said Roger. “I changed jobs and ended up retiring from the Army. It was a family tradition for us. We were supposed to serve.
My Uncle Bill Olson earned the Silver Star as a medic during World War II. It seemed like the Korean War didn’t much matter to the American public. On the other hand, Vietnam was different; so many people were opposed to our involvement.”
When Roger decided to make the Army a career, his parents were behind him 100 percent.
“The folks really understood my reasons for staying in,” said Roger. “The Army provided stability.”
Roger now makes his home in Copperas Cove, TX, which is near Ft. Hood.
Russell Olson
Russell entered the U.S. Air Force in September of 1954. He was trained as an inflight radar technician serving on EC-121 Super Constellations off the coast of New England.
“My first year was spent in school and later I was sent to three months of advanced radar school with the U.S. Navy,” said Russell. “It was great to experience the differences in the two services.
He was discharged in 1958, having attained the rank of Staff Sergeant.
“With my Air Force education, I obtained a job that paid well enough so that I could save enough money to pay for my college to become a chiropractor,” said Russell. “Having been from a family of nine children, college was not affordable. To this day, I still use what I learned in the Air Force in regards to electronics; it ended up being a lifetime education.”
Russell used his GI Bill to get a commercial pilot’s license, and he has been flying for 50 years. He now resides in Westport, MA.
Jerry Olson
After his graduation in 1955, Jerry left New Richland for the U.S. Air Force, where he learned about diesel generators and served for four years until 1959.
“I was stationed on an island in the Yellow Sea,” said Jerry. “I also made it to Europe and had duty stations in Germany and France. I was very fortunate to see the different parts of the world.”
Jerry now lives in Rochester, MN.
Gilman Olson
“Tom Supalla, Lowell Larson, Laurel Hanson, Larry Kendrick, Kery Wick and I all joined the service at the same time in 1961,” said Gilman.
He was sent to Germany around the time of the Berlin Wall, “Checkpoint Charlie,” and other Cold War happenings.
“I took a tour of East Berlin,” said Gilman. “We were in buses. There were machine gun emplacements all over. There weren’t a whole lot of smiles on the faces of the soldiers.”
Gil was trained in electronics and worked as a missile technician on the Nike Hercules and Hawk missile systems.
After leaving the Army in 1963, he attended nightly college courses and took a job with Fabri-Tek in Wisconsin. He moved to several different cities, ending up at the Edina facility. He now calls Coon Rapids home and hasn’t slowed down.
“I’m still working as a battery salesman,” said Gil.
Glen Olson
Following his high school graduation in 1966, the youngest Olson brother entered the U.S. Army in February of 1968. He was sent to Korea after Basic Training and worked in the Adjutant General’s office as a clerk-typist.
“I processed requests for early discharges,” said Glen. “I enjoyed photography as an off-duty hobby. They had darkroom facilities on the base we could use. I made several trips across the channel to Japan. I climbed Mt. Fuji and shot many rolls of film in various locations. I was fortunate to be stationed in Korea instead of Vietnam. ”
He attained the rank of Specialist 5 (E-5) after 19 months and was discharged in September of 1969.
“I took advantage of the GI Bill,” said Glen. “Because of my service, I was able to attend Mankato State and graduated in 1973.”
Glen is a maintenance technician for Seagate Technology. He rides bike in the summer and hits the cross country trails in the winter. Last spring, Glen placed second in his age group in the Get in Gear 10k race (corporate division). He lives in Minneapolis.
The Olson brothers exemplify the spirit of the American serviceman or woman who places their country before themselves. Everyone who has ever donned a uniform basically hands out a blank check with the words, “Pay to the order of the United States, the amount of up to, and including my life.”
The Olson brothers upheld a family tradition and are extremely proud of their service to their country. We, as fellow Minnesotans and Americans, must take the time to thank all of the brave men and women who leave their families and go wherever their country calls them.
