“There was mention of everything else, like the Distinguished Flying Cross and Air Force medals,” said Dick Olson, Richard’s son. “All the ribbons and medals that he was ent…
Dick Olson holds up a collection of medals, honors and other items he made into a display for his late father Major Richard Olson at his home in Westminster, Colorado on Jun 19, 2024. Dick Olson is the son of Richard Olson, a deceased WW2 veteran and Air Force Major. The elder Olson was injured in a B-24 plane crash in 1944 but never received a Purple Heart.
For seven years, Dick worked to correct the oversight. In April, the Air Force agreed to posthumously award Richard a Purple Heart. “They lost an engine, and they couldn’t keep up with the rest of the bombers, so they had to turn around to go back,” Dick said. “Two of the gunners were killed on the plane. And then the plane was set on fire and I think they had two more engines shot out.
“My parents split when I was about 13,” Dick said. “He moved away from the household and they got divorced.”“I was always interested in his Air Force career. And since he never talked about these other guys, I wanted to find them and talk to them myself,” Dick said. Like Chapman, Olson was also missing an award: a Purple Heart for sustaining an injury while in the line of duty.
Brian Schenk, founder of Midwest Military and Veterans Law, agreed to work with Dick pro bono and together, they took the Board for Correction to federal court, determined to prove that Olson had been injured during active duty.
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