Help recognize a pilot lost in Desert Storm

From my friend Jim, a 1950's 82nd Airborne vet,

My hometown is Washington, NC. It's a small town with a big hero. There's a new bridge and it needs a name. There is a petition about to have that bridge named for Capt. Patrick B. Olson. You don't have to live there to sign the petition. You don't even have to know where Washington, NC is. Just click this link to learn about Patrick and look below his "goofy mustache" photo and click on "visiting the petition and adding your name" to access the petition. Thanks.
-Jim-

Need some help here everyone. On the last day of Desert Storm, an A-10 pilot, Captain Patrick Olson, was lost while attempting to land his heavily damaged aircraft at his base in Saudi Arabia.

There is a new bridge in his hometown of Washington, NC and friends of his family have started a petition to have it named after him. It's the least we can do to honor a fallen airman. You can sign the petition at a link through this Blog, and I hope you will - Mike

http://verbalincontinence-sisu.blogspot.com/2010/07/captain-patrick-brian-olson.html

"Captain Patrick B. Olson died on 27 February 1991 while on a combat mission in Saudi Arabia supporting Operation Desert Storm. Olsen was piloting an OA-10 aircraft and was directing other warplanes toward Iraqi tanks. He had a call from Army troopers who believed Iraqi tanks were about to pull an end run on their position. Olson threw his Warthog's 57-foot-6-inch wing almost vertical to the ground as he banked sharply to aim at the Iraqi armor. Gunfire erupted around him and hit his aircraft. The damage was serious and Olson tried to land the aircraft. He was inches from putting down on a sand airfield when his OA-10 flipped over. He did not have time to eject."

What this does not say is that Patrick flew his Warthog on one engine and no hydraulics to a friendly base in poor weather and that his landing gear collapsed and the A-10 cartwheeled, he never had a chance to get out.

You don't even have to know where Washington, NC is.





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Gladly Signed. Signature number 1195

Signed, and added the petition to my blog to get some more signatures (hopefully many more).

Signed. #1258! This is really great. Keep 'em coming folks!

FWIW, I've spam... eh, spread the news to:

Air Forces Monthly Magazine
http://forum.keypublishing.co.uk/showth ... ost1623692

Warthog News
http://warthognews.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... -lost.html

BTW, I'm # 1,251.

On August 12, I signed for this petition with signature number 1193.

Many thanks to Don "Gamera" Chan for his notification via e-mail.

For my contribution, please check: http://warthognews.blogspot.com/2010/08 ... -lost.html

BTW: My post will be further updated.

To all of my F-16.net friends: Please support this petition.


The Petition

To: Washington (NC) City Council, Beaufort County Commissioners, North Carolina Department of Transportation

To the Washington (NC) City Council, the Beaufort County Commissioners, and the North Carolina Department of Transportation, as well as concerned citizens and friends:

This petition is signed by those in support of naming the recently rebuilt bridge on River Road (N.C. 32) in Washington over Runyon Creek in honor of Captain Patrick Brian Olson.

Patrick Olson perished over the skies of Iraq 27 Feb 1991. Patrick was a native Washingtonian, known to all of us in Beaufort County and Washington, by our generation and by our parents' generation. He was a man who lived his dream of service to his country, and unfortunately died during the execution of that service.

We feel it a fitting tribute to name this bridge in memory of Patrick Olson and his service and his ultimate sacrifice during the first Gulf War. A structure like this bridge is built once in a lifetime in our community, and we expect it to stand for 30-50 years. While WE all remember Patrick, , we want our children and grandchildren to know who he was, why he made the ultimate sacrifice, and why he did what he did. We wish it to be known that he was a genuine American patriot who died defending the freedom that we so often take for granted, and we want it to be known for years to come. We feel this is a fitting tribute to a fallen hometown comrade and friend.

Sincerely,

The Undersigned
<a href="http://www.petitiononline.com/PatOlson/">Source</a>


Joachim Jacob
Warthog News Editor
Berlin, Germany

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington,_North_Carolina

FWIW, here's the English Wiki article for "Washington, North Carolina", with a quick map of "Location within the state of North Carolina".

] Many thanks to Don "Gamera" Chan for his notification via e-mail.

No problemo, dude. Contrary to popular disbelief, I'm not always an AOL (arseh_le on-line). 8D

I was #1310

Done, and done! Thanks for the opportunity.
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