[Congressional Record Volume 170, Number 6 (Thursday, January 11, 2024)]
[House]
[Pages H63-H64]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  COMMEMORATING THE LIFE AND SERVICE OF COMMANDER DELBERT AUSTIN OLSON

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. The Chair recognizes the gentleman from 
North Dakota (Mr. Armstrong) for 5 minutes.
  Mr. ARMSTRONG. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor the life and 
service of Commander Delbert Austin Olson.
  Commander Olson was born on January 4, 1926, in Arthur, North Dakota. 
In 1943, while still in high school, Commander Olson enlisted in the 
Navy Reserves, listing Casselton, North Dakota, as his home.
  Commander Olson was designated as a naval aviator in 1947. He served 
honorably in World War II, the Korean war, and then Vietnam.
  Commander Olson's service was one of distinction. He was a member of 
the secret Observation Squadron 67, with his final mission declassified 
in 1998.
  In existence for just 500 days, the Observation Squadron consisted of 
12 9-man crews that flew along the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos and 
Cambodia. The purpose of the mission was to place sensors along the 
trail to monitor hostile movements and to listen in on conversations. 
This strategy was named ``McNamara's Line'' after Defense Secretary 
Robert McNamara. These missions were dangerous as they were required to 
fly close to the ground, making them prime targets.
  On January 11, 1968, Commander Olson's plane went down. Commander 
Olson lost his life, along with his other crewmen and their mascot, a 
dog named ``Skippy.''
  In 1968, Commander Olson was first listed as missing in action and 
later changed to killed in action.
  While ground conditions made recovery extremely dangerous, we are 
grateful that the U.S. military sent out multiple teams and that the 
remains of all the crew were recovered.
  Commander Olson was laid to rest at the Arlington National Cemetery 
in 2003.
  Commander Olson earned multiple awards for his service, including the 
Navy Commendation Medal with Valor, Purple Heart, National Defense 
Service Medal, Vietnam Service Medal, and Republic of Vietnam Campaign 
ribbon bar.
  His name is inscribed on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial wall on The 
National Mall here in Washington, D.C.
  Mr. Speaker, I know I speak for all North Dakotans when I say that we 
are proud of Commander Olson's dedicated service to our Nation. By 
honoring him today, we ensure that Commander Olson has a permanent 
place in our country's history and that his memory will live on 
forever.

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