65) Earl Olsen
Mechanic who Tried to Save Joe Kennedy Jr. During Operation Aphrodite
Born: 22 April 1915, Great Falls, Montana, United States of America
Died: 11 April 2011, Medford, California, United States of America
Earl served in World War II as an electronics officer. During the now infamous Operation Aphrodite, Earl warned Joseph P Kennedy Jr. (Older brother of John Fitzgerald Kennedy and Robert F Kennedy) that there could be a mechanical issue with the plane and that the plane was not safe to fly that day. Kennedy chose to ignore the warning and died in the resulting explosion.
Earl's other wartime service record includes serving aboard the USS Saratoga when it was torpedoed.
He passed away from complications from Alzheimer’s Disease.
Badges Earned:
Find a Grave Marked
Located In My Personal Library:
The House of Kennedy by James Patterson and Cynthia Fagen
Sources:
https://www.legacy.com/obituaries/greatfallstribune/obituary.aspx?n=earl-olsen&pid=150407120
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_P._Kennedy_Jr.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/68609528/earl-paul-olsen