WBAY-TV Green Bay-Fox Cities-Northeast Wisconsin NewsNew London Soldier May Have Misrepresented Himself

New London Soldier May Have Misrepresented Himself

A New London soldier, who came home to a hero's welcome Saturday, may have misrepresented himself.

Jordon Olson told Action 2 News Saturday at the Outagamie County Airport that he was a sergeant who was wounded while serving in Afghanistan.

But the U.S. Army says that's not the case.  Army officials say Olson is a soldier assigned to the 5th Battalion, 3rd Field Artillery Regiment, 17th Fires Brigade, Joint Base lewis-McChord, Washington.  They say his battalion and military records show Olson is a specialist and is not up for a promotion.

The army says, according to Olson's unit, he was not wounded in combat.

There were also questions raised about the patches he was wearing.  Olson had on an 82nd Combat Patch.  According to his battalion, the 5-3 FA Battalion is not attached to the 82nd and Olson "has no reason to wear that particular combat patch."

Army officials went on to say, "He has not been awarded, nor is he authorized to wear, the Combat Action Badge, which he is wearing beneath the Parachutist Badge."

Action 2 News spoke with Olson's mother Tuesday morning.  She told us they're "trying to make sense of all of this" and that the family has "no idea why," he would do this, that "it wasn't necessary."

The army also said is has "no explanation for the discrepancies in Spec. Olson's answers, nor can [it] explain the rank and patches/badges he is wearing on his uniform.  This is something that his unit will look into upon his return to Joint Base Lewis-McChord following his leave.  Nonetheless, Spec. Olson is a soldier who has served his country since entering the army in 2007, and he has deployed to Afghanistan.  This is something his community and his family can be proud of."

Repeated attempts to reach Olson have been unsuccessful.