Raphael "Ray" Olson

Raphael "Ray" Olson

My dad, Ray Olson (Raphael O. Olson), passed away on Sept. 4, 2015, after a brief illness due to complications from a fall. Although living in Illinois and Wisconsin, he was a PUFL American Legion member of Post 46 in Florida. He and my mom vacationed in Florida, so he must have joined their post while down there.
Ray landed in Normandy on D-Day +3 and is a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge. During the Bulge, he was in the Headquarters Battery of the 83rd Armoured Field Artillery Battalion in a bastard battalion of 105's. My dad received two Purple Hearts – the first in St. Lo, France, on July 17, 1944, the second during the Bulge on Jan. 17, 1945, in Sterpigny, Belgium.
My dad was very proud to submit his story about his experience in the Battle of the Bulge for a book compiled by VBOB. As is typical of most veterans, he didn't talk about his role in the war, but he did reminisce in recent years. He was tenderly cared for in the hospice at William Middleton VA in Madison, Wis., for the last three months of his life. The staff felt he showed signs of suffering from PTSD, which I believe. The "Jerries" pounded Sterpigny mortars and 88s for days. He was blasted with a "Jerry" 88 shell that exploded about 6 feet away while he was trying to repair the last working radio. That big old radio certainly shielded him and saved his life. I miss him dearly, but his legacy will never be forgotten in our family.

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