A one-time Novato High School student is among the latest casualties of the war in Iraq.
Nicholas P. Olson, 22, died Tuesday when an improvised explosive device, or IED, was detonated near his Army unit in the Iraqi city of Muqdadiyah, the Department of Defense said.
Two other soldiers also died in the attack.
Olson had been serving with the 2nd Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 4th Brigade, 2nd Infantry Division Stryker Brigade Combat Team out of Fort Lewis, Wash., where he leaves a wife and 10-month-old baby.
His parents are reported to be Novato residents who were on their way to Fort Lewis on Thursday, Novato High Assistant Principal Dan Curtaz said.
Nicholas Olson is their only child, he said.
It was Olson?s first deployment overseas, a spokeswoman at Fort Lewis said. He had been in Iraq since April.
Olson attended Novato High School for three years before transferring to Marin Oaks High continuation school, where he graduated in 2003, school and Army officials said.
Curtaz, who was Olson?s freshman P.E. teacher, remembered a highly energetic, outgoing kid.
He said Olson was in the campus Junior ROTC program and was always proud to wear his uniform.
Though few of Olson?s teachers remain on the campus of 1,250 students, there was a great deal of sadness there this week, Curtaz said.
?You can hear about a kid in Santa Rosa or a kid in San Francisco, but when it?s a kid from Novato that went to our school ? and me personally, just having taught him ? it just makes you kind of stop and wonder what?s going on,? he said.
Olson enlisted in the Army on Oct. 20, 2004 in Oakland and completed basis training at Fort Benning, Ga., Fort Lewis public relations personnel said.
He reported to Fort Lewis in March of 2005.
UPDATED: Please read and follow our commenting policy: