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Rocky blogger Major Andrew Olmsted killed in Iraq

By David Montero, Rocky Mountain News (Contact)

Published January 4, 2008 at 5:37 p.m.
Updated January 4, 2008 at 8:48 p.m.

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Army Major Andrew Olmsted, a blogger for RockyMountainNews.com, died Thursday in Iraq. His mission was to teach members of the Iraqi Army how to defend their country and provide security for their people. He was a veteran blogger and he was determined to make a difference in Iraq.

Photo by Javier Manzano © The Rocky

Army Major Andrew Olmsted, a blogger for RockyMountainNews.com, died Thursday in Iraq. His mission was to teach members of the Iraqi Army how to defend their country and provide security for their people. He was a veteran blogger and he was determined to make a difference in Iraq.

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He was the first casualty for 2008 in Iraq. And a small part of Maj. Andrew Olmsted likely would've chuckled at that fact. It would be droll and play into his sense of self-deprecation.

But for everyone else, the news would be devastating.

Amanda Wilson, his wife of 10 years, could barely talk Friday. The notifying officers came to her door in Colorado Springs on Thursday to tell her that Olmsted's unit had been ambushed and that he was dead. Also killed was Cpt. Thomas J. Casey, 32, of Albuquerque.

It was small arms fire, they said. The gaping blackness after that moment seemed to suck away all the words, leaving only soft sobs in their wake.

"I know," she said quietly when condolences were passed on to her. Her mother, who was flown in Friday to help, was also having trouble with the news. "She's trying to be brave," Wilson's soft voice said.

Olmsted, however, asked everyone to avoid being maudlin. And he asked everyone via a blog, of course. The 38-year-old soldier based out of Fort Carson was a prolific blogger — including one he did steadily for the Rocky Mountain News dating back to his deployment in July.

Always prepared, the former Eagle Scout asked a friend to post a blog in the event of his death.

"I'm dead. That sucks, at least for me and my family and friends," he wrote. "But all the tears in the world aren't going to bring me back, so I would prefer that people remember the good things about me rather than mourning my loss. (If it turns out a specific number of tears will, in fact, bring me back to life, then by all means, break out the onions.)"

A longtime friend and fellow soldier stationed at Fort Dix laughed.

"That's him all right," Maj. Dave Willis said.

Then he did what Olmsted asked him not to do.

He cried.

Leave politics out

There are things Olmsted got to see that made him happy before he died. Things that mattered greatly to him. He saw his beloved Boston Red Sox win not just one World Series, but two. He lived in the era of iTunes and had an extensive library of '80s music downloaded and ready to go at his fingertips. He read voraciously — though he didn't think he was that smart, noting his father had a doctorate and his mother had a master's degree. His brother has a doctorate and Wilson has a masters, too.

Olmsted simply had a bachelor's degree from Clarke University.

"I'm the intellectual runt of the litter," he said back in June while training in Fort Riley.

Olmsted was born in Maine, lived a few years in New Jersey before spending the bulk of his youth and college years in Massachusetts.

A self-described libertarian, he remembered being political at an early age — dubbed by friends as Alex P. Keaton in high school. In fact, politics was something he could talk about at length. He'd make arguments for small government or areas where government had no business being at all.

He'd make his points and then raise an arched eyebrow — awaiting a challenge.

Despite his politics, he made a plea in his blog — don't politicize his death. His plea was made in words that, if spoken, would be level and his eyes would look straight into yours.

"I went to Iraq and did what I did for my reasons, not yours. My life isn't a chit to be used to bludgeon people to silence on either side. If you think the U.S. should stay in Iraq, don't drag me into it by claiming that somehow my death demands us staying in Iraq," he wrote. "If you think the U.S. ought to get out tomorrow, don't cite my name as an example of someone's life who was wasted by our mission in Iraq. I have my own opinions about what we should do about Iraq, but since I'm not around to expound on them I'd prefer others not try and use me as some kind of moral capital to support a position I probably didn't support."

'I will see you again'

There was little equivocation from the career soldier. He signed up originally for the Massachusetts National Guard in 1988 and then signed up for the U.S. Army in 1992.

He kept enlisting and figured he'd finally get out in 2012 after serving 20 years.

Not that he didn't see flaws in the Army. He could roll his eyes at the "hurry up and wait" rhythm of the military. Once while training at Fort Riley, his unit was supposed to go on a mission to talk to a town leader about possible insurgent activity. When the caravan was ready to roll, they suddenly had to stop.

The group ahead of them hadn't finished their training yet.

He took off his sunglasses. He rolled his eyes. He smirked from beneath the moustache he hated but grew because he read that Iraqi men were suspicious of guys without facial hair.

But then he did what his team members said made him a leader. He had the medic take out IV needles so each one of them could practice finding a vein in case the doctor was hurt during combat and one of them had to treat wounded.

Staff Sgt. Brandon Shaw, the medic, brought out the needles. Shaw said medics sometimes gather together in a dark room and practicing sticking themselves to simulate night combat situations.

Shaw said Olmsted was the only non-medic he knew who also practiced that.

Willis said it was important to know that Olmsted died doing what he loved to do — not just being a soldier, but posting his blogs for The Rocky and other sites.

"The news is devastating," said Rocky Editor John Temple. "The major was a brave man who obviously thrived on sharing his experiences and thoughts on his blog. He provided a perspective on Iraq that would have been impossible for a journalist. Our thoughts are with his wife, family and unit."

Olmsted's final posting was filled with humor and political philosophy (he can't help himself). But the last part exposed another side of him — the side that freely admitted to playing A Whole New World as their wedding song.

The blog ended with a quote from Ambassador Delenn in the science fiction TV show Babylon 5 that reads; "I will see you again, in the place where no shadows fall."

He posted: "I don't know if there is an afterlife; I tend to doubt it, to be perfectly honest. But if there is any way possible, Amanda, then I will live up to Delenn's words, somehow, some way. I love you."

Wilson had read it. For her, there was now a hole in her world.

monterod@RockyMountainNews.com

Comments

  • January 4, 2008

    7:28 p.m.

    TheVentilator writes:

    (This comment was removed by the site staff.)

  • January 4, 2008

    7:45 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Fancy_chance writes:

    My thoughts and prayers are with him, his family, friends and fellow soldiers. There are no words that express the loss they all must feel. He sounded like a real honorable man. May they find peace in knowing that he did make a positive impact on many people. Rest in Peace.

  • January 4, 2008

    8:59 p.m.

    Bubbantx writes:

    (This comment was removed by the site staff.)

  • January 4, 2008

    9:10 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    thewayiseeit writes:

    This is my tribute to Major Andrew Olmsted and his family. Thank you for your service to our country and to the Army. You are a great loss to our efforts there. Rest in peace.

    Fellow soldier,

    Dustin

  • January 4, 2008

    9:20 p.m.

    Suggest removal

    Uno writes:

    Rest in peace Major Olmsted !

  • January 4, 2008

    11:26 p.m.

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    KevinHayden writes:

    I beg the RMNews staff to remove political commentary out of respect for Andrew's last wishes.

    He was a good, decent man, we ought to be celebrating that and spare the politics for elsewhere.

    Otherwise, he'll be sending Papelbon to do a Riverdance on somebody's butt.

  • January 4, 2008

    11:42 p.m.

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    SSGTBuck writes:

    For those who fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know!

    Rest in Peace

    vaya con Dios Sir!

    A Brother in Arms

    Buck

  • January 5, 2008

    12:05 a.m.

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    alek writes:

    Very sad news. Andrew's "Final Post" has lots of commentary on it at this site - http://obsidianwings.blogs.com/obsidi...

  • January 5, 2008

    4:43 p.m.

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    Lavonne writes:

    My husband is currently serving in Afghanistan. He served with Andrew in the 2nd/91st at Fort Carson before they both went to serve their respective deployments in Iraq and Afghanistan. Every time we suffer a loss collectively as a country, it is an even deeper and more personal loss for the friends and families of the fallen soldiers. Each one of them is so much more than the cover story of a newspaper or magazine, or a soundbite on the evening news. Hopefully Andrew's blogs will help people to understand the other side of the war. The human side. Which sometimes seems to get buried underneath statistics and editing and deadlines that need to be met. Political opinions aside, Andrew proudly served his country and deserves the utmost respect for that. May his legacy give some measure of comfort to his famiy and friends. They are in my thoughts and prayers. Take care.