>> WE BEGIN THIS WEEK WITH A SOLDIER'S STORY.
AS THE UNITED STATES BEGINS TO STAND DOWN IN IRAQ AND DEBATE
THE TROOP INCREASE IN AFGHANISTAN, WE THOUGHT IT WOULD
BE WORTH REVISITING OUR REPORT
ON U. S. ARMY MAJOR ANDREW OLMSTED.
HE'S A SOLDIER WITH WISCONSIN CONNECTIONS AND THE FIRST
U.S. CASUALTY IN IRAQ LAST YEAR.
WE LEARNED THERE'S A NEW BOOK ABOUT THE ARMY HERO.
MORE ON THAT IN A MOMENT.
FIRST ART HACKETT SHOWS YOU HOW OLMSTED'S WRITINGS ARE HAVING AN
IMPACT AROUND THE WORLD AND IN CEDARBURG.
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>> HE'S AN EXCEPTIONAL WRITER.
HE'D BEEN WRITING FOR SIX OR SEVEN YEARS AND HAD REALLY
GOTTEN INTO DISCUSSING A LOT OF POLITICAL ISSUES
AMONG OTHER THINGS.
HE ALSO WROTE ABOUT THE RED SOX WHICH WAS HIS TEAM.
>> WESLEY OLMSTED OF CEDARBURG
IS U.S. ARMY MAJOR ANDREW OLMSTED'S FATHER.
MAJOR OLMSTED, AGE 37, WAS THE FIRST U.S. SOLDIER
TO DIE IN IRAQ IN 2008.
HE WAS BASED AT FORT CARSON IN COLORADO.
ANDREW OLMSTED LEFT BEHIND A WIDOW, AMANDA WILSON.
ANDREW OLMSTED GREW UP IN MAINE AND THEN MASSACHUSETTS WHERE HIS
FATHER WAS A CHEMICAL ENGINEER FOR POLAROID.
WHILE IN COLLEGE, OLMSTED JOINED ROTC AND THEN ENTERED THE ARMY.
>> THERE WERE A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT THINGS THAT INFLUENCED
HIS DECISION.
SOME OF THE BOOKS THAT HE READ.
Robert Heinlein "STARSHIP TROOPERS."
WHEN YOU READ THROUGH A BOOK AND IT'S ALL ABOUT CAMARADERIE AND
HOW YOU CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD BY -- AND AT THE SAME
TIME BE A PART OF SOMETHING BIGGER THAN YOURSELF.
>> ABOUT SEVEN YEARS AGO, ANDREW OLMSTED BECAME A BLOGGER,
WRITING A SERIES OF POSTINGS ON THE INTERNET,
KNOWN FORMALLY AS A WEB LOG OR BLOG FOR SHORT.
>> HE GOT INTO BLOGGING BECAUSE HE LIKED TO HAVE A DISCUSSION.
IF YOU GO THROUGH AND LOOK THROUGH SOME OF THE EARLIER
BLOGS, YOU'LL DISCOVER HE'S TRYING TO USE THE BLOG AS A WAY
TO CONSOLIDATE IN HIS OWN MIND WHAT HE THINKS
ABOUT SPECIFIC ISSUES.
>> HE EVENTUALLY CREATED A NEW BLOG, ANDREWOLMSTED.COM,
AND THEN JOINED A GROUP OF OTHER BLOGGERS AT A SITE CALLED
OBSIDIAN WINGS.
THE GROUP WAS LOOKING FOR A CONSERVATIVE VOICE.
>> HE'S MORE LIBERTARIAN THAN CONSERVATIVE.
IT WAS A SMALL L, NOT A CAPITAL L.
>> ANDREW OLMSTED SERVED IN THE ARMY FOR 15 YEARS BUT WASN'T
ORDERED TO IRAQ UNTIL MID 2007.
>> IN GENERAL THIS IS WHAT HE FELT, THAT BECAUSE HE WAS A
SOLDIER, HE HAD TO GO.
PLUS I THINK HE FELT HE WAS GOING TO BE ABLE TO DO SOME GOOD
BY DOING THE TRAINING AND ULTIMATE, HOPEFULLY WE WOULD BE
ABLE TO TURN THIS OVER TO THE IRAQIS AND THEN WALK AWAY.
>> THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS IN DENVER ENLISTED OLMSTED TO WRITE
A BLOG FOR THEIR WEBSITE.
REPORTER DAVID MONTERO WAS ASSIGNED TO WRITE THE BACKGROUND
STORY.
>> IT WAS INTERESTING THE FIRST FEW ENTRIES OF HIS BLOGS
THAT I READ.
I THOUGHT THEY WERE TECHNICAL HIMSELF BE --
HIS VOICE BE IN
THE WRITING, I DIDN'T THINK, EARLY ON IN THE -- IN OUR BLOG.
IT WASN'T UNTIL LATER, I THINK AS HE GOT COMFORTABLE WITH THE
FORUM, AND GOT READER COMMENTS THAT HE STARTED
TO OPEN UP A BIT.
>> HE PUT ONE UP ONE TIME ASKING PEOPLE NOT TO SEND SOCCER BALLS
BUT THE NEEDLES AND PUMPS SO THE KIDS COULD REINFLATE
THESE THINGS.
ONCE THE IRAQI KIDS HAD BEATEN THEM UP, THEY DEFLATE RATHER
RAPIDLY SOMETIMES.
>> I THINK HE WAS MORE COMFORTABLE MAKING OBSERVATIONS
ABOUT THINGS THAT HE WAS SEEING AND THINGS HE WAS DOING BUT THIS
IS STUFF THAT WE HAD TALKED ABOUT PRIOR TO HIS LEAVING TO --
ABOUT HIS INTERESTS IN THE CULTURE AND HIS TRYING TO
UNDERSTAND THE CULTURE, MAKING SURE THAT HE DID THE PROPER
THINGS TO BE THE BEST AMBASSADOR AS HE COULD BE.
I THINK HE DID SEEM HIMSELF AS AN AMBASSADOR TO THE IRAQI
PEOPLE.
>> HIS LOST POST FOR THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN NEWS WAS DATED
DECEMBER 26, 2007, DESCRIBING THE MUSLIM HOLIDAY.
>> THE MANAGING EDITOR CAME UP TO ME AND SAID THERE WAS A
REPORT GOING AROUND THE BLOGOSPHERE THAT ANDREW
HAD BEEN KILLED.
I DIDN'T BELIEVE IT RIGHT AWAY.
I WAS REALLY HOPING IT WASN'T TRUE AND SO MY FIRST REACTION
WAS A LOT OF THINGS THAT APPEAR ON BLOGS AREN'T TRUE AND
SOMETIMES IT'S LIKE A DRY TENDER FIRE.
THINGS CAN SPREAD SO FAST AND I THOUGHT MAYBE SOMEBODY
INADVERTENTLY POSTED SOMETHING THAT WASN'T TRUE.
>> THE DAY AFTER OLMSTED WAS KILLED, ANOTHER POST APPEARED ON
THE BLOG.
IT BEGINS, THIS IS AN ENTRY I WOULD HAVE PREFERRED NOT TO HAVE
PUBLISHED BUT THERE ARE LIMITS TO WHAT WE CAN CONTROL IN LIFE
AND APPARENTLY, I HAVE PASSED ONE OF THOSE LIMITS.
>> I CAN VISUALIZE ANDY TRYING TO GO OVER AND TALK TO PEOPLE,
SEE IF THEY WOULD PUT THEIR GUNS DOWN AND UNFORTUNATELY, THEY
DIDN'T KNOW HIM AND THEY DECIDED TO SHOOT HIM.
>> WHEN HE DIED ON JANUARY 3, ALL OF A SUDDEN THIS LAST POST
POPS UP ON THE BLOG.
DID YOU KNOW THAT WAS COMING?
>> NO.
NO.
I HAD NO IDEA.
I'M NOT SURPRISED.
AS HE SAID WHEN HE OPENED THE BLOG, HE SAID HE ALWAYS WANTED
TO HAVE THE LAST WORD AND BY GOD, HE WAS GOING TO DO IT.
SO HE DID.
>> ANDREW OLMSTED HAD WRITTEN A LENGTHY MESSAGE TO BE POSTED IN
THE EVENT OF HIS PASSING.
IT WAS LED WITH A QUOTE FROM HIS FAVORITE SCIENCE FICTION SERIES,
BABYLON FIVE AND THIS ONE FROM PLATO.
ONLY THE DEAD HAVE SEEN THE END OF WAR.
>> I DO ASK THAT NO ONE TRY TO USE MY DEATH TO FURTHER THEIR
POLITICAL PURPOSES.
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 READ IN HIS FINAL POST THE COMMENT THAT HE SAID I HOPE
THAT -- TWO THINGS.
ONE HE SAID WE WENT TO WAR TOO QUICKLY.
THERE WERE MIXED FEELINGS ABOUT DO HE ALSO SAID, I'M IN THE
ARMY.
WHEN THE BOSS SAYS YOU GO, YOU GO.
>> A DECISION THAT FOR MOST OF US IN AMERICA WAS ACADEMIC,
WHETHER OR NOT TO GO TO WAR IN IRAQ HAD VERY REAL CONSEQUENCES
FOR HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE.
YET I WAS AS GUILTY AS ANYONE AS MINIMIZING THE REAL CONSEQUENCES
IN THE COLD DISCUSSION OF THE MERITS OF WAR AND PEACE.
NOW, I'M FACING SOME VERY REAL CONSEQUENCES OF THAT DECISION.
WHO SAYS LIFE DOESN'T HAVE A SENSE OF HUMOR?
>> IT REMINDS ME OF THAT -- I DON'T KNOW IF YOU SAW THE MOVIE
CONTACT WITH JODY FOSTER BUT WHEN SHE'S UP THERE LOOKING AT
ALL OF THE STUFF AND SHE SAID I SHOULDN'T HAVE SENT A SIGN, I
SHOULD HAVE SENT A POET TO DESCRIBE WHAT YOU SAW.
WE HAVE ESSENTIALLY A WRITER ABLE TO DESCRIBE HIS FEELINGS
AND WHAT HE THOUGHT ABOUT WHAT WAS GOING ON OVER THERE AND HOW
HE SAW THINGS OVER THERE.
>> I KNEW THE BLOG WAS WORLDWIDE.
I KNEW THERE WOULD BE A LOT OF PEOPLE WHO WOULD SEE IT.
>> ACCOUNTS OF THE FINAL POST BOUNCED FROM BLOG TO BLOG.
ANDREW OLMSTED'S FINAL POST WAS REPRINTED IN PAPERS IN
AUSTRALIA, SOUTH AFRICA AND GERMANY.
HERE IT IS IN HUNGARIAN.
>> IT'S A BROADER THING THAN JUST A SINGLE FAMILY.
HE WANTED THIS SEEN BY AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE
AND HE GOT HIS WISH IN A WAY.
THERE ARE OVER HALF A MILLION HITS ON IT AND THAT WAS SEVERAL
MONTHS AGO.
>> WESLEY OLMSTED HAS COLLECTED PRINTOUTS OF THE ONLINE COMMENTS
FROM THE BLOGS.
THEY FILL HUNDREDS OF PAGES IN A RING BINDER.
MORE THAN 4,000 U.S. TROOPS
HAVE DIED IN IRAQ SINCE THE WAR BEGAN IN 2003.
>> THERE HAVE BEEN A NUMBER OF COMMENTS FROM A NUMBER OF
SOLDIERS, PEOPLE WHO HAD SERVED WITH HIM, SOME WHO HAD JUST BEEN
IN IRAQ AND UNILATERALLY, ALMOST UNIVERSALLY WHAT THEY'RE SAYING IS
SOMEBODY FINALLY SAID WHAT I'VE BEEN THINKING FOR A LONG TIME.
SO I MEAN, IN THE WAY HE WAS POET FOR THE REST OF THE WAR.
ANDREW IS THE SPOKESMAN FOR THOSE WHO DIED IN IRAQ.
>> ANDREW OLMSTED'S PERSPECTIVE LIVES ON IN A NEW BOOK CALLED
"A SOLDIER'S WORDS" PUBLISHED VANTAGE PRESS.
HIS FATHER SAID HE SENT A COPY OF THE BOOK TO PRESIDENT OBAMA,
SUGGESTING HE READ IT PRIOR TO MAKING A DECISION ON WHETHER TO
SEND MORE TROOPS TO AFGHANISTAN.
SO FAR HE'S NOT HEARD BACK FROM THE PRESIDENT.
PROCEEDS FROM THE BOOK WILL GO TO A SCHOLARSHIP FUND AT
OLMSTED'S FORMER HIGH SCHOOL IN MASSACHUSETTS.