2nd Lt. Garth H. Olsen (Photo provided)

SARANAC LAKE – On Dec. 19, 2018, Garth H. Olsen of Saranac Lake was promoted to Second Lieutenant and Chaplain Candidate in the United States Army, New York National Guard.

He held the rank of Specialist prior to this, having completed Basic Combat Training at Ft Jackson, South Carolina, and Advanced Individual Training at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, where he trained as an Army Medic, in 2016.

Olsen earned a Bachelor of Arts in History at SUNY Potsdam in 2017, and is currently studying towards a Master of Divinity at United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia.

Olsen has been endorsed by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America New England Synod, under the authority of Bishop James Hazelwood. Without this endorsement, his commissioning as a Chaplain Candidate would not have been possible.

Olsen was sworn in by his father, CH Col. Eric W. Olsen (Ret.). He will be based at Joint Force Headquarters in Latham.