Please read message from Randy Olson, as communicated to Sen. John Patterson.

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It is with sadness but also great honor that I must let you know my father, Colonel John Eric Olson, passed away yesterday at the age of 94 from pretty much natural causes (a small, quick bout of pneumonia). Some of you may have known him. He did a great deal to promote awareness and the memory of American Prisoners of War in Japan in World War II, plus he wrote three books on his war experiences. In recent years I've been doing what I can to help promote the memory of both he and his historical work that he was so passionate about.

Towards that end, I assembled this Wikipedia page on him that tells the basics of his military career. And more importantly, I am a professional filmmaker and am putting the finishing touches on a new documentary feature film about him that we will begin screening early next year at film festivals. We expect to begin public announcements of the film in December.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_E._Olson

He led an extraordinary life… He did a lot of good things, stood for the very best of the United States military, and was deeply committed to the memory of his fellow P.O.W.'s. He is survived by my mother, Harriette Marshall Olson of Lenexa, Kansas, my sisters Jackie Olson Moore, Suzanne Olson Emerson, and my brothers, Eric Olson, Mike Olson.

- Randy Olson