Olsen grew up in Hawaii and was staying in New Hampshire when he enlisted in the Army. Olsen studied art at the Savannah (Ga.) College of Art and Design and wanted to teach art after returning home, according to news reports. On his MySpace page, he wrote, "I hit a point in life where my art wasn't fulfilling anymore...I suddenly had too much freedom and too much time, so I took the most opposite direction I legally could with my life, I joined the army." Olsen was killed on Jan. 20, 2007, by a roadside bomb.