Political Quotes

“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.…”