Legend High School Graduate Honors Service of Fellow 173rd Airborne Paratrooper

Since graduating from Legend High School, Army Staff Sergeant Daniel Olson has been fulfilling his lifelong dream of being in the Army. Sgt. Olson enlisted immediately following graduation and quickly moved from boot camp to airborne training.

His actions while overseas garnered the attention of so many back at home as Sgt. Olson honored another soldier from Colorado, 50 years his senior, who was also part of the 173rd Airborne Division. Sgt. James Dassinger was a Vietnam War paratrooper who recently passed away. Sgt. Olson planned a final tribute to Dassinger by jumping from a military aircraft to spread his ashes in a paratrooper landing zone in Italy.

Sgt. Olson’s mother, Denise, has nothing but praise for the education her son received and his teachers at Legend High School for supporting his interest in specific subjects.

“I am truly proud and in awe of the man Daniel has grown into,” said Denise Olson. “Although he knew from a young age that serving his country was his path, he had the best guidance from his teachers at Legend High School who helped him dive deep into the subjects that intrigued him. He absorbed all things math, history and geography, all of which set him up for the success he is now seeing.”

Sgt. Olson is now deployed in North Carolina and has taken the remainder of Sgt. Dassinger’s ashes with him to the 82nd Airborne Brigade, planning to jump and spread them all over the world.

“I learned academic and life lessons from the teachers at Legend,” said Sgt. Olson. “The energy they brought every day helped me be excited about learning. I am grateful for the hard work and sacrifice that was made every day for me and other Legend students.”

Thank you, Sgt. Olson, for your service!