Soldier's mother receives Gold Star 40 years after his death in Vietnam  

[NOV. 11, 2004]  SPRINGFIELD -- Nearly 40 years after his death, a Vietnam veteran's stepmother was presented with the Gold Star Banner and Gold Star Button. Antoinette Olive, stepmother of Milton Olive III, received the Gold Star recognition from Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs Director Roy L. Dolgos and Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn at a ceremony in Chicago last month.

Milton Olive III, a native of Chicago's South Side, joined the U.S. Army at the age of 19 and was a member of the 3rd Platoon of Company B. On Oct. 22, 1965, Olive and his fellow platoon members came under fire with a grenade by the Viet Cong. Olive saved the lives of four soldiers by grabbing the grenade in his hand and falling on it to absorb the blast with his body.

“For this heroic and brave action, we salute Milton Olive III,” Dolgos said. “We will never forget his selfless acts of bravery and are grateful for his sacrifice.”

The Gold Star Banner and Gold Star Button is a keepsake to identify widows, parents and next of kin of members of the U.S. armed forces who lost their lives.

[Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs news release]

Illinois Department of Veterans' Affairs Director Roy L. Dolgos (middle) and Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn (right) present Antoinette Olive, the stepmother of Milton Olive III, with the Gold Star Banner and Gold Star Button at a ceremony in Chicago last month. Milton Olive was killed in action in Vietnam in 1965.