ARMY
1969-1995

Colonel Lars E. Larson was born in LaCrosse, Wisconsin in 1946 to parents Ira E. and Doris E. Larson of Lansing Iowa. He grew up in Osage, Iowa, moving to Cedar Rapids in the fall of 1963 where he graduated from George Washington Senior High School. During the summers he worked as a lifeguard and swimming pool manager. Colonel Larson graduated from the University of Iowa in 1969 with a BA in History. While at the University, he was a member of Delta Chi fraternity and was the Cadet Colonel of the Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) Corps of Cadets. He was commissioned as a 2nd Lieutenant Regular Army Infantry Officer upon graduation and retired in 1995 as a Colonel after 26 years of serving in a variety of command and staff assignments. He served tours in Germany, and a tour in Vietnam as an infantry platoon leader and infantry company commander. He was the Battalion Commander of 3rd Battalion, 6th Infantry (Mechanized), 5th Infantry Division at Fort Polk, LA and served in several additional stateside assignments, including in the Pentagon with Army Headquarters and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. His military decorations include the Legion of Merit, Defense Meritorious Service Medal, Bronze Star, Air Medal, Meritorious Service Medal (5 awards), other decorations, the Combat Infantryman Badge, Ranger and Airborne qualification badges, and other decorations. Colonel Larson has a Master of Business Administration from Adelphi University and was an honor graduate of the National War College, Washington, DC. Upon retirement from active service, he was an operations manager in northern Virginia firms before joining Pacific Northwest National Laboratory in 2000 as a program manager working on technology applications for Army logistics until his final retirement in January 2016. Married to Jean E. (Bradford) Larson of Osage, he resides in Fairfax, Virginia and has 4 adult sons and 12 grandchildren. He is the eldest brother of Greer Fry, Pete and Sven Larson of Cedar Rapids, and sister Solveig Smith (Eagle, ID) and John Larson (Fort Myers, FL).

Honored by: Your loving and proud siblings