His personal blog which spans from August 2002 to June 2007 covered a wide breadth of topics, including the military and politics. In a post from last February Olmsted writes he was, “blogging in violation of a Department of Defense directive that restricts how much political activity soldiers may be involved with.” He began writing for the Rocky Mountain News in May.

Maj. Olmsted was killed along with another American officer named Capt. Thomas Casey. According to the Defense Department:

Although many soldiers write “death letters,” the final correspondence to a family written in case one should be killed, Maj. Olmsted’s words were instantly available for the entire world to see via the internet. Excerpts: What I don’t want this to be is a chance for me, or anyone else, to be maudlin. I’m dead. That sucks, at least for me and my family and friends. But all the tears in the world aren’t going to bring me back, so I would prefer that people remember the good things about me rather than mourning my loss. (If it turns out a specific number of tears will, in fact, bring me back to life, then by all means, break out the onions.) I had a pretty good life, as I noted above. Sure, all things being equal I would have preferred to have more time, but I have no business complaining with all the good fortune I’ve enjoyed in my life. So if you’re up for that, put on a little 80s music (preferably vintage 1980-1984), grab a Coke and have a drink with me…

…I do ask (not that I’m in a position to enforce this) that no one try to use my death to further their political purposes. I went to Iraq and did what I did for my reasons, not yours. My life isn’t a chit to be used to bludgeon people to silence on either side. If you think the should stay in Iraq, don’t drag me into it by claiming that somehow my death demands us staying in Iraq. If you think the ought to get out tomorrow, don’t cite my name as an example of someone’s life who was wasted by our mission in Iraq…

…This is the hardest part. While I certainly have no desire to die, at this point I no longer have any worries. That is not true of the woman who made my life something to enjoy rather than something merely to survive. She put up with all of my faults, and they are myriad, she endured separations again and again…I cannot imagine being more fortunate in love than I have been with Amanda. Now she has to go on without me, and while a cynic might observe she’s better off, I know that this is a terrible burden I have placed on her, and I would give almost anything if she would not have to bear it. It seems that is not an option. I cannot imagine anything more painful than that, and if there is an afterlife, this is a pain I’ll bear forever.

To learn more about Maj. Olmsted read his introduction on the Rocky Mountain News blog.