Graduation Banquet

CH-BOLC is winding down and we celebrated tonight with a graduation banquet at the NCO club. Here I am with my beautiful bride of sixteen years.


Here are a few of the guys from my squad. Myself and the chaplain in dress blues are going active duty. The others are in either National Guard or Army Reserves.

Thank-you

Thank You for your thoughts and prayers. God is so good and I am thankful that his grace is sufficient. On Friday, I will Graduate CH-BOLC and my family and I will head to Florida to be with the rest of my family who is gathering there. We will have a memorial service on Saturday evening and then my family and I will stay there a week to help take care of things around the house.

Things are winding down here at Ft. Jackson. These three months have come and gone quickly and with the end of one phase comes the beginning of another. My family and I are looking forward to our arrival at Ft. Hood and the beginning of a new ministry there. I have included below an eight minute video that gives a glimpse of our last three months. I hope you enjoy it.

Good Bye

1:30 AM on Monday morning, August 27, 2007, My father Frank Olson passed from this life into eternity. His death follows the death of my grandmother, Gusta Larson, who passed on Friday afternoon at 2:00.

I sit here this morning choosing my words carefully because my emotions are so raw. The Army allowed me to go to Florida last weekend to see my grandmother who was in the hospital. I was able to spend an entire night with her there and watch over her as she slept. In the morning I was able to say goodbye to her for now and so long until we meet again.

My dad was better than he had been in weeks. I was able to take him out to Sonic, and Dunkin Donuts for strawberry shakes. He really loved those. We went to Home Depot and picked up materials to fix some things around the house. It was so good to just be with him.

I last talked to him just yesterday morning at about 11:00. He was able to talk fairly well but I noticed he was struggling to remember a few things. However, after he hung up with me, my Mom told me he could not remember who he had just talked to. Within a couple of hours, Mom called 911 and he was taken to the hospital.

It all happens so fast. Just yesterday it seems that I was a young boy wanting to be just like Dad. Now he is gone and I am the Dad whose boys are wanting to be like me. Soon my time will come as well and the next generation will take the lead. But until then, I will have to carry the baton.

Goodbye Dad
Goodbye Grandma

Until we meet again

My heart and my prayers are with my mom who has lost both her mother and husband withing just a couple of days. I cannot even begin to comprehend the pain and grief she is experiencing. I ask all of you who may be reading this blog to please take a moment and pray for her. Her name is Lylas Olson, or Sis as her friends like to call her. Thank you for lifting her up in your prayers!