John E. Olson
Era: World War II
Military Branch: Army
John E. Olson of Duluth, Minnesota was inducted into the Army on April 12, 1942.
He was a Staff Sergeant and an infantry squad leader with Company F, 409th Infantry Regiment in Sicily, Naples-Foggia and Rome-Arno in the Italian campaign plus southern France, the Rhineland and Central Europe. He was wounded in action on Nov. 11, 1943, and later in the war.
He received the: Silver Star, Purple Heart with oak leaf cluster, Combat Infantryman Badge, Good Conduct Medal, European-African-Middle East Campaign Service Medal with six bronze battle stars and bronze arrowhead, World War II Victory Medal and three overseas service bars.
He was discharged on Sept. 29, 1945.
Source: Hometown Heroes: The St. Louis County World War II Project. 232.
