thedrifter
04-06-07, 11:06 AM
Eagan Marine killed in Iraq
Daniel Olsen, 20, began his first tour just two months ago
Posted: 4/6/07
by Erin Johnson
Thisweek Newspapers
An Eagan Marine who began his first tour of duty in Iraq just two months ago was killed on Sunday, April 1 after being shot in the back with small arms fire.
Lance Cpl. Daniel R. Olsen, 20, was serving with the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines Fox Company, in an area around Fallujah. He was wearing heavy armor at the time.
Olsen, the son of Wayne and Gwen Olsen, was a 2005 graduate of Eagan High School. He enlisted with the U.S. Marines immediately after graduation.
His family describes Olsen as a very private person who loved to play video games and eschewed the spotlight. His desire to blend in likely made the military attractive, Wayne said.
“He wanted to not be the center of attention,” he said. “In the military, you don’t stand out, so that worked for him.”
Olsen had been thinking about joining the military during his last couple of years in high school, Wayne said.
There is a history of military service in Olsen’s family: Wayne and both of Olsen’s grandfathers served in the Navy.
“There’s military threads running through the family, but nobody made a career of it,” Wayne said.
Olsen was proud to be a Marine, he said, and he found brotherhood among his fellow Marines.
“I always got the impression that he was very confident in the people with him,” he said. “The Marines were just wonderful from his perspective. It’s a great group to be with. He really bonded with them.”
Olsen wasn’t yet sure what he wanted to do for a career, said his sisters, Shelcy, 22, and Shaina, 18. But he was taking classes through the military in math and finance, they said.
“He was a very private person. He didn’t really share his feelings,” Shelcy said. “But he played jokes on us all the time.”
Olsen had a natural knack with children, and one of his passions was teaching Sunday school at Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie.
“I would consider him a pretty hypersensitive, gentle person,” Wayne said. “Whenever he came back, he would always reconnect with the kids at Wooddale. He was working with 5-year-olds, and they would just hang on him. They loved him.”
Wayne said that no one was surprised when Olsen was sent to Iraq. He was deployed on Jan. 29.
“That’s just part of the program,” Wayne said.
Olsen had access to phones and the Internet, and he would communicate with his family through e-mail on a regular basis.
“He was tired, but other than that I think he was OK with what they were doing,” Shelcy said. “He was in pretty good spirits.”
Wayne said he and Olsen had been e-mailing back and forth almost daily the week before he died. That week also brought their last phone call from Olsen.
They learned of his death on Monday, April 2.
“We’re a Christian family, and we think that Daniel is in a much better place,” Wayne said.
Even after his death, Olsen is still having an impact, he said.
“He will be greatly missed by lots of folks. His story touched many people,” he said. “He’s getting more attention now than he probably would have ever wanted.”
Erin Johnson is at eagan.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.
Ellie
Daniel Olsen, 20, began his first tour just two months ago
Posted: 4/6/07
by Erin Johnson
Thisweek Newspapers
An Eagan Marine who began his first tour of duty in Iraq just two months ago was killed on Sunday, April 1 after being shot in the back with small arms fire.
Lance Cpl. Daniel R. Olsen, 20, was serving with the 2nd Battalion, 7th Marines Fox Company, in an area around Fallujah. He was wearing heavy armor at the time.
Olsen, the son of Wayne and Gwen Olsen, was a 2005 graduate of Eagan High School. He enlisted with the U.S. Marines immediately after graduation.
His family describes Olsen as a very private person who loved to play video games and eschewed the spotlight. His desire to blend in likely made the military attractive, Wayne said.
“He wanted to not be the center of attention,” he said. “In the military, you don’t stand out, so that worked for him.”
Olsen had been thinking about joining the military during his last couple of years in high school, Wayne said.
There is a history of military service in Olsen’s family: Wayne and both of Olsen’s grandfathers served in the Navy.
“There’s military threads running through the family, but nobody made a career of it,” Wayne said.
Olsen was proud to be a Marine, he said, and he found brotherhood among his fellow Marines.
“I always got the impression that he was very confident in the people with him,” he said. “The Marines were just wonderful from his perspective. It’s a great group to be with. He really bonded with them.”
Olsen wasn’t yet sure what he wanted to do for a career, said his sisters, Shelcy, 22, and Shaina, 18. But he was taking classes through the military in math and finance, they said.
“He was a very private person. He didn’t really share his feelings,” Shelcy said. “But he played jokes on us all the time.”
Olsen had a natural knack with children, and one of his passions was teaching Sunday school at Wooddale Church in Eden Prairie.
“I would consider him a pretty hypersensitive, gentle person,” Wayne said. “Whenever he came back, he would always reconnect with the kids at Wooddale. He was working with 5-year-olds, and they would just hang on him. They loved him.”
Wayne said that no one was surprised when Olsen was sent to Iraq. He was deployed on Jan. 29.
“That’s just part of the program,” Wayne said.
Olsen had access to phones and the Internet, and he would communicate with his family through e-mail on a regular basis.
“He was tired, but other than that I think he was OK with what they were doing,” Shelcy said. “He was in pretty good spirits.”
Wayne said he and Olsen had been e-mailing back and forth almost daily the week before he died. That week also brought their last phone call from Olsen.
They learned of his death on Monday, April 2.
“We’re a Christian family, and we think that Daniel is in a much better place,” Wayne said.
Even after his death, Olsen is still having an impact, he said.
“He will be greatly missed by lots of folks. His story touched many people,” he said. “He’s getting more attention now than he probably would have ever wanted.”
Erin Johnson is at eagan.thisweek@ecm-inc.com.
Ellie