24 Aug 1943 – 22 Oct 2024
Richard Allen “Oscar” Munson was born in Etna, California on August 24, 1943, to Floyd Lambert Munson and Mary Pauline (Olson) Munson. He was the youngest brother of Robert “Pete” and Douglas “Hap”. The family lived in Callahan where the family was involved in the timber and mining industries. Oscar attended Callahan Elementary School and graduated from Etna High School in 1962. The Munson boys were avid outdoorsmen and spent a great deal of time above Callahan on Blue Jay, Mt. Bolivar and the surrounding area.
That summer, Oscar began his career with the US Forest Service as a Firefighter II for the Klamath National Forest. In 1964, after two years fighting fire, Oscar was drafted into the US Army and reported for duty in Oakland on April 14, 1965. Basic Training was completed at Fort Ord, California and Oscar then served in the Vietnam War, attaining the rank of PFC E-4 and was recognized as an Expert (rifle M14), VSM, VCM w/60 device, NDSM and as a firefighter. Oscar was released from active duty on April 13, 1967, and remained in the Army reserves until April 13, 1971.
