Vernon L. Okland 1948-1970

OKLAND, EDWARDS, CARLSON

Posted By: Sharyl Ferrall - IAGenWeb volunteer
Date: 3/8/2011 at 00:10:36

The family of a Lake Mills soldier has received word of his death in Vietnam. Mr. and Mrs. Luther Okland were informed by the Department of Defense that Sp 4 Vernon Leo Okland, 20, died May 5 of wounds suffered in combat. Okland was serving in the northern portion of South Vietnam with the 101st Airborne Division as a rifleman with Co. C, 2nd Battalion, 502nd Infantry.

He was a graduate of the Lake Mills high school and worked on a farm in the Lake Mills area until entering the Army December 6, 1968. His basic training was taken at Ft. Polk, Louisiana before leaving for Vietnam July 10, 1969.

Funeral arrangements for Sp 4 Vernon Okland are pending. Survivors include his parents, two brothers, Raymond, Atlanta, Georgia; Scott, at home; three sisters, Mrs. Jayne Edwards, Minneapolis, Minnesota; Jeanne, Dallas, Texas; Jenine, at home; and his maternal grandparents, Mr. and Mrs. Eddie Carlson of Leland.

~Buffalo Center Tribune, May 14, 1970