Major Arthur Donald Nicholson was an American Army Military Intelligence Officer born in 1947. He joined the Army in 1970 and served in Korea and Germany before returning to the US for specialized training. In 1982, he returned to Germany as part of the United States Military Liaison Mission in Potsdam. This mission, established after World War II, evolved into a hub for espionage activities by all sides during the Cold War. Major Nicholson had undertaken over 100 intelligence gathering trips before his death. On March 24, 1985, during a mission near Ludwigslust, he approached a Soviet military building with his camera. A Soviet soldier, Sergeant Aleksander Ryabtsev, confronted Nicholson and his driver, Staff Sergeant Jessie George Schatz. Accounts differ on exact events, but shots were fired, and Major Nicholson was fatally wounded. No immediate aid was rendered, and he bled to death for approximately two hours. The incident led to a political crisis, with both sides blaming each other. Major Nicholson is considered the last military casualty of the Cold War. He was posthumously awarded the Purple Heart and buried in Arlington Military Cemetery. In 1988, the Soviet Defense Minister formally apologized for his death.