134th Infantry Regiment Crest

134th Infantry Regiment

"All Hell Can't Stop Us"

35th Infantry Division emblem

1st Sergeant Roland B. Olson

Companies E and G

1st Sgt Roland B Olson

1st. Sgt. Olson on left, identity of soldier on right unknown

1st Sgt. Olson on right, identity of soldier on left unknown

First Sergeant Roland B. Olson transferred to the 35th Infantry Division prior to departure for ETO. He was activated as part of the Minnesota National Guard months prior to Pearl Harbor as a member of Battery A, 775th AA Gun Battery assigned to provide AA protection to San Francisco Harbor after Pearl Harbor. On his way to the 35th he was stationed at Fort Riley Kansas where he was retrained as an infantryman at the tender age of 30.

Just prior to joining the 35th Infantry Division he was assigned to Fort Benning Georgia where he had a company of tech sergeants providing infantry training to paratroop candidates as part of an experiment where by infantry cadre trained the troops in infantry tactics part of the day and paratroop cadre trained the troops in parachuting part of the day. The goal was to reduce the time needed to train paratroops.

When he joined Company G of the 134th Regiment he was an extra 1st Sergeant for a time and led a platoon when officers were in short supply. Although offered a battlefield commission, he turned it down in the hopes of getting a regular 1st Sergeant slot. His reasoning was that he had a better chance of survival as a 1st Sergeant. This opportunity came along about the time of the Bulge when he was transferred to Company E of the 134th Infantry Regiment.

Thanks to Mr. Rollie Olson for submitting these photos. Mr. Olson is First Sergeant Olson's son.

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