A Great Man

David Olson
Dec. 19, 1919- Oct. 31, 2012

Dave Olson was born in Oakland on December 19, 1919 to Swedish immigrants Hjalmar and Ellen Olson. He had a sister Evelyn Johnson (deceased), and a brother Stanley Olson of Castro Valley. He lived and was educated in Oakland. At the age of 17, he met his future wife, Renie Lindquist. They celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary this year.
Dave joined the Army in 1942 and served in Europe and Japan for four years. His most memorable moment was when his unit liberated a women's concentration camp in Poland.
Dave and Renie had four children: Dave Olson, Kris Olson Bruerton, Sam Olson, and Tracy Olson Young, eight grandchildren; Dylan, Cassidy, Sonnet, Zack, Sammy, Kristian (deceased), Kysa, Clara, and nine great-grandchildren.
For 25 years he worked in the family meat market business, followed by eight years in the sales and marketing of building materials. He ended his working career as Director of Mission Springs Conference Grounds. Dave retired in 1981.
During this last phase of his life he lived in Scotts Valley and became involved in the Swedish-American Society, Community Covenant Church and the Santa Cruz Woodcarvers Group. In these groups Dave made many close friends.
Dave and his wife Renie resided in their family home until his death on October 31, 2012.

Black Cat Run

I did my first 5-miler today. And let's be honest, I am not a runner so this is a pretty big thing for me.

 

 

I ran with Pepper, the black lab I am living with.

 

And we had true Pacific Northwest weather, it rained the whole time!

Honoring the California Fallen

Army Sergeant Clinton K. Ruiz, 22, of Murrieta, CA, was assigned to the 9th Military Information Support BN, 8th Military Information Support Group, Fort Bragg, NC. SGT Ruiz died of wounds suffered when his unit was attacked by small arms fire in Khas Uruzgan, Oruzgan Province, Afghanistan.

What a Difference...

What a difference a year in Afghanistan can make.

The picture on the left was taken 10 days before I deployed to AFG.

The picture on the right was taken just the other day.

And yes, I did have to purchase an entirely new wardrobe when I returned since NOTHING fit me anymore...

Tant Que Je Puis

They gave their tomorrow so that I could have today.

I will push to surpass the limit of my abilities.

I will push beyond my limits in their honor.

Honoring the Fallen

Where I Am

Work is still really difficult. It has been almost 4 full months since I came home and I still have not been allowed to rejoin my team. For the past 5 weeks I felt like I had been placed in an out of sight and out of mind job.  I want and need to be a part of a team and not be forced into solitude.

 

I knew that almost every aspect of my reintegration was going to be difficult. I just don't think I expected things to be this difficult.

 

All I want is to understand what is going on in my head so I can learn to adapt to it. Everyone has said that this is going to take time. But my job has taken "time" away from me. The rules of the game had changed, it took me a while to catch on, but now I know. And I am now ready to play.

This kid is back. Not back to who I was, but back on the road that is going to help me find my new normal. I will get through this. I have no choice.

 

Let the battle begin!

Honoring the California Fallen

Army Sergeant Thomas R. MacPherson, 26, of Long Beach, CA, was assigned to 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, U.S. Army Special Operations Command, Joint Base Lewis-McChord, WA. SGT MacPherson died in Andar district, Afghanistan, of wounds caused by small-arms fire.

Fear Changing Into The Best Part of My Day

When I first came home it was very difficult for me to be around young children. Even hearing them cry or giggle would cause anxiety attacks. For 12 months all I wanted was for my pediatric patients to be able to cry. All but one of the children I flew were intubated (using a breathing tube) and were sedated. They are growing up in a world that our children will never really know. A simple walk down the street could lead to stepping on a roadside bomb or a stray bullet. Going to the market with their family could mean a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device. Their world could change to quickly, within the blink of an eye.

 

On September 12th, the Los family finally became a family of three. Kelsea Quinn is the most precious being I have ever met. I got to meet Kelsea on her birthday. A tiny little bundle of perfection. But I couldn't hold her. I had a hard time when she cried or even whimpered. It took two weeks before I could hold her. It was a strange feeling, not bad, just strange.

October 4th was a rough day at work for me. Unfortunately, rough work days had started to become my norm since early September. But this day was particularly rough. I went over to the Los homestead to talk with Penny (a fellow Army Nurse) and get some advice. While there I spent some time holding baby Kelsea. I don't really understand how, but the simple act of holding her and feeding her helped me change my thought process. I had been holding on to my past as if it were truth. The lies I had been told I had been treating like fact. Kelsea made me realize that I need to live in the present and the future. While the past is important to learn from, I can't hold on to it like I have been. There was a massive increase in my confidence within days.

Kelsea brought me back to the present. She helped me take that first big step that I needed. 



Now I get to spend a lot of my evenings with baby Kelsea. I really enjoy getting to hang out with Penny and talk about random whatevers and joke around. I like getting to give Penny a little break too. Such a rough life to have to spend my evenings with good conversation and holding this little angel!

FEVER 11

Click the picture to see another blogger's glimpse of FEVER.

This is the Air Force unit I was with for my final 6 months in Afghanistan.

Honoring the California Fallen

Marine Sergeant Camella M. Steedley, 31, of San Diego, CA, was assigned to Combat Logistics Regiment 17, 1st Marine Logistics Group, I Marine Expeditionary Force, Camp Pendleton, CA. Sgt Steedley died while supporting combat operations in Helmand province, Afghanistan.