| Milton Lee Olive III | |
| Birth Date: | 7 November 1946 |
| Birth Place: | Chicago, Illinois, U.S. |
| Death Place: | Phu Cuong, South Vietnam |
| Placeofburial: | West Grove Missionary Baptist Church Cemetery, Lexington, Mississippi |
| Placeofburial Label: | Place of burial |
| Medal: | cmoh army.jpg |
| Allegiance: | United States of America |
| Branch: | United States Army |
| Serviceyears: | 1964–1965 |
| Rank: | Private First Class |
| Unit: | Company B, 2nd Battalion, 503rd Infantry Regiment, 173rd Airborne Brigade |
| Battles: | Vietnam War |
| Awards: | Medal of Honor Purple Heart |
Milton Lee Olive III (November 7, 1946 – October 22, 1965) was a United States Army soldier and a recipient of America's highest military decoration — the Medal of Honor — for his heroic action in the Vietnam War when at the age of 18, Olive sacrificed his life to save others by falling on a grenade. In so doing so he became the first African-American recipient of the Medal of Honor from the Vietnam War.
Olive joined the Army from his birth city of Chicago, Illinois in 1964,[1] and was serving as a Private First Class in Company B of the 2nd Battalion (Airborne), 503rd Infantry Regiment ("The Rock"), 173rd Airborne Brigade ("Sky Soldiers") in Vietnam in 1965.
On October 22, 1965, while moving through the jungle with four fellow soldiers in Phu Cuong, Olive sacrificed his life by smothering an enemy-thrown grenade with his body. For his actions on that day, Olive became a posthumous recipient of the Medal of Honor.
At a ceremony on the steps of the White House, on April 21, 1966, President Lyndon B. Johnson presented the Medal of Honor to his father and stepmother.
Also in attendance were two of the four men whose lives were saved by Olive's actions.
Olive's body was returned to the United States where he was later buried in West Grove Cemetery at Lexington, Holmes County, Mississippi.
He was born in Chicago, but moved with his family to Lexington, Mississippi at a young age, which was where he finished high school.
In 1966, a plaque and park was dedicated in his honor.[2] In 1999, the city of Chicago recognized Olive by naming Olive Park on Lake Michigan in his honor.[3]
The Milton L. Olive Middle School in Wyandanch, Long Island, New York, is also named in his honor.
In 2007, a State Historical Marker was erected for Olive in Lexington, Mississippi. The dedication ceremonies included an address by the Adjutant General of the Mississippi National Guard. Fort Campbell has a recreation facility named in his honor.
In 2012, Fort Benning, GA, (changed in 2023 to Fort Moore), dedicated a Simulations facility in his honor named Olive Hall (The Maneuver Battle Lab).
Honor Field is a one-mile track located in Ft. Polk, LA, which bears a plaque detailing Olive's heroics.[4] The field is used for everything from changes of command and physical training to tests of physical fortitude in various military competitions.
The Downlow Saga, a 2017 novel by Los Angeles author Sheldon McCormick, is dedicated in memory of PFC Olive.
Olive's statue, along with Sgt. William Harvey Carney, is seen on the African-American Medal of Honor Recipients Memorial in Wilmington, Delaware.[5]
In the 2020 Spike Lee film Da 5 Bloods, Olive is briefly mentioned during a conversation about portrayals of war in Hollywood, with the character Otis wishing for the portrayals of more black war heroes like Olive.[6]