John Olson
John Olson (born 1947) is an American photographer, former combat photographer and Robert Capa Gold Medal winner for his photographs of the Battle of Hue during the Vietnam War. His photograph of a tank on which a group of wounded marines are piled is considered one of the most emblematic images of the conflict.
John Olson
- Born
- 1947
- Occupation
- photographer
- Honours
- Robert Capa Gold Medal
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Battle of Hue
While working as a combat photographer for Star and Stripes newspaper, Olson took a series of photographs of the Battle of Hue fighting while following the 1st Battalion, 5th Marine Regiment trying to take back the city. The photographs were published by Stars and Stripes and also in Life magazine. It is often attributed to the rawness of his images that they played a significant role in America's subsequent withdrawal from the Vietnam War. Olson was awarded the Robert Capa Gold Medal in 1968 for this work, for his "exceptional courage and initiative".
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The biographical narrative on this page is based on the Wikipedia article John Olson (photographer), revision 1362119675 (EN edition), by its contributors. VALÉORINE has edited that text and built its own documentary record around it. The reused material is available under CC BY-SA 4.0, and this page's reuse of it is offered under the same licence. Everything else on this page — the chronology, the holdings, the evidence, the plates and the connections — is VALÉORINE's own record. Sources and licences.
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The Encyclopedia exists whether or not anything is for sale. Corrections are recorded rather than overwritten, and every version of this record is kept. Published 18 August 2026.
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