Army honors Big Red One WWI Soldier with Posthumous Silver Star, Purple Heart

Official Statements

• USAG Fort Hamilton, November 13: “U.S. Army leaders, family members and community guests gathered at U.S. Army Garrison Fort Hamilton, Brooklyn, NY, on Nov. 10 to posthumously present the Silver Star and Purple Heart to Pvt. Isidor Olian, recognizing the World War I Soldier’s gallantry, sacrifice and enduring place in Army history. Col. Ian J. Lauer, deputy commanding officer for support, 1st Infantry Division, presented the medals to Carl Young, Olian’s great-grandnephew.”

• USAG Fort Hamilton, November 13: “The ceremony honored Olian’s service with Company K, 18th Infantry Regiment, 1st Inf. Div., the “Big Red One,” and connected his story to the generations of Soldiers and families whose service shaped the Army. Because Olian was Jewish, his family requested that a Jewish chaplain take part in the ceremony. Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Raziel Amar, a guest Jewish chaplain, delivered the invocation and recited the El Malei Rachamim prayer using Olian’s Hebrew name and rank.”

• USAG Fort Hamilton, November 13: “Amar said El Malei Rachamim, Hebrew for “God, full of compassion,” is a traditional Jewish memorial prayer for the soul of the deceased. Jewish communities recite it at funerals, memorial services and on the anniversary of a death. The prayer asks God to grant the departed soul rest in the Divine Presence and includes the name of the deceased, making it a personal act of remembrance. Amar recited the prayer in Olian’s memory more than a century after his death.”

• USAG Fort Hamilton, November 13: “Olian, a New York City resident, entered active duty in July 1918 and deployed to France later that month. He joined the 18th Infantry Regiment as the 1st Inf. Div. served with the American Expeditionary Forces under First Army. German machine-gun fire killed Olian near Exermont, France, Oct. 2, 1918.”

• USAG Fort Hamilton, November 13: “The Army approved Olian’s posthumous awards in 2026 after historical research documented his World War I service, his citation for gallantry and his eligibility for the medals. The Silver Star recognized his gallantry in action, and the Purple Heart recognized his death as a result of enemy action. Lauer said presenting the awards allowed him to enter Olian’s gallantry into the division’s record.”

• USAG Fort Hamilton, November 13: “I had the opportunity to bring to record the gallantry of a 1st Infantry Division Soldier, Pvt. Isidor Olian, and cement his contributions into the legacy of the Big Red One,” Lauer said. “It was a true honor and pleasure.” The ceremony also reflected the 1st Inf. Div.’s Year of Legacy. Olian belonged to the Big Red One’s founding generation of combat Soldiers. His service in France came during the division’s earliest campaigns and helped establish a legacy of courage, sacrifice and service that later generations carried forward.”

• USAG Fort Hamilton, November 13: “The presentation recognized more than Olian’s individual heroism. It also honored the World War I generation that left civilian life, crossed the Atlantic and fought in the Army’s first major overseas conflict. Olian’s experience reflected that rapid mobilization: He entered active duty in July 1918, deployed overseas and died in action only months later.”

• USAG Fort Hamilton, November 13: “Olian’s assignment to the 18th Infantry Regiment also linked his story to First Army’s origins. The 1st Inf. Div. served under First Army during major U.S. operations on the Western Front and sustained more than 8,500 casualties during 12 days of fighting in October 1918, illustrating the cost Soldiers and families bore in the final weeks of the war.”

• USAG Fort Hamilton, November 13: “For Young, the ceremony marked the culmination of decades of family remembrance and research. Young first learned of Olian’s service as a child, when he discovered the American flag that had covered his great-granduncle’s coffin in the basement of his Philadelphia home. He later began researching Olian’s life because, he said, it seemed wrong that the memory of a Soldier killed in combat had shrunk to a photograph and a flag stored out of sight.”

• USAG Fort Hamilton, November 13: “Young’s research revealed Olian’s connection to the Big Red One and helped document his entitlement to the Silver Star and Purple Heart. It also broadened the family’s understanding of Olian’s service, sacrifice and place within the larger American immigrant experience. “These medals will always remind me of Isidor Olian’s heroism,” Young said. “They’ll also remind me of why he and his family came to America in the first place.” Lauer thanked the Olian family and credited Young’s work with bringing Olian’s valor to light.”

• USAG Fort Hamilton, November 13: “I’m especially grateful to the Olian family and Carl Young, Pvt. Olian’s great-grandnephew,” Lauer said. “In bringing Pvt. Olian’s uncommon valor to account, he has done an incredible service to all veterans.”

• USAG Fort Hamilton, November 13: “Lauer said the family’s commitment extended beyond its own history. “His family’s commitment is, in fact, a commitment to all veterans past and present that they are not forgotten,” he said. Young said the recognition also honored the other Soldiers of Company K who died alongside Olian on Oct. 2, 1918, including men whose backgrounds closely reflected Olian’s own ties to New York City’s immigrant communities.”

• USAG Fort Hamilton, November 13: “Lauer said Olian’s story reminds Americans of their nation’s history and of the sacrifices made to preserve it. “Pvt. Olian’s story is a reminder to all of us of the rich history of our great nation and the sacrifices that we’ve made to ensure its survival,” Lauer said. “I couldn’t have been prouder to participate and share fellowship with the Olian family.” By presenting Olian’s medals more than a century after his death, the Army reaffirmed that service and sacrifice do not fade with time.”

• USAG Fort Hamilton, November 13: “The ceremony reflected the Army’s emphasis on honoring warriors of every generation. It preserved the story of one World War I Soldier while recognizing the generation that laid the foundation for the enduring legacy of the Big Red One, First Army and the U.S. Army. -------------- Photos of the Ceremony can be viewed at: https://flic.kr/s/aHBqjDajCK”

• USAG Fort Hamilton, November 13: “Background on Pvt. Olian’s service and family history came from research conducted by Carl Young. Information on the El Malei Rachamim prayer was provided by Chaplain (Lt. Col.) Raziel Amar and verified against open-source references. Remarks are from Col. Ian J. Lauer at the Nov. 10 ceremony. Generative AI was used to assist with formatting, structure and Associated Press style editing.”