[69] Discouraged and at odds with the Air Force, in which he was seen as an iconoclast, Olds reportedly was in the process of resigning when he was talked out of it by a mentor, Maj Gen Frederic H. Smith Jr., who brought him to work at Eastern Air Defense Command headquarters at Stewart AFB, New York. Robin Olds [1] (July 14, 1922 - June 14, 2007) was an American fighter pilot and general officer in the U.S. Air Force. Olds remarkable life experiences jump from the pages - in a book that is nearly impossible to put down. [39] Olds flew a new P-38J Lightning that he nicknamed Scat II. Raised mostly in Washington D.C., England and Colorado, she graduated from Vassar College with a BA in English/Creative Writing in 1974 and spent 25 years living in San . [44] Despite battle damage to his own plane, including loss of a side window of its canopy, Olds shot down two during the dogfight and another on the way home to become the first ace of the 479th FG. [93], His 259total combat missions included 107 in World War II and 152 in Southeast Asia, 105 of those over North Vietnam. RFT 185: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System, Who Decides the Punishment in a Smuggling Court, Which of the following Is the Legal Standard of Proof at a Civil Trial, Which Is the Oldest and Most Original Source of International Law, When Did Abortion Become Legal in Illinois. Explore Robin Olds Wiki Age, Height, Biography as Wikipedia, Wife, Family relation. After suggesting the idea to Seventh Air Force commander Major General William Momyer, himself a former commander of the 8th TFW, Olds was directed to plan a mission designed to draw the North Vietnamese Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21s into an aerial trap, and "Operation Bolo" resulted. Seen as a rising star, Olds was selected for a U.S. Air Force-Royal Air Force exchange program in 1948. [37], Olds was promoted to first lieutenant on December 1, 1943. Olds logged 650hours of flying time during training, including 250hours in the P-38 Lightning, as the 479th built its proficiency as a combat group. His fourth MiG kill in Vietnam was recreated in the season 2 episode "No Room For Error". TogetherWeServed.com Inc. All Rights Reserved | Not a U.S. Government Website. Save Article. Robin Olds[2] (July 14, 1922 June 14, 2007) was an American fighter pilot and general officer in the United States Air Force (USAF). He was flying so low, he said in an interview that year, that it seemed the gunners on roofs were shooting down at him. While he knew that he would be capable of effectively using them, he was also aware that none of his pilots were trained in the use of a gun or dogfighting. He was commissioned on June 1, 1943, and completed his pilot training later that year. Her earliest memory was the Transatlantic crossing from New York to England on the Queen Mary. Olds scored his first kill on August 14, 1944, when he turned a Focke-Wulf 190 into a fiery German-filled inferno, but it was on a particularly balls-out mission 11 days later that Captain Robin Olds truly made a name for himself as a man that needed to have a special flight suit constructed just to contain his ridiculously-oversized steel testicles. Far too many military personnel, policemen, and politicians mouth their oath of office as a rote exercise. The Sedalia Democrat (Sedalia, Missouri) Thu.24 Jan. 1935, Page-9 MRS. ROBIN RAINES STOCKTON Mrs. Robin Raines Stockton, 31 years old, wife of K. W. Stockton. Christina Olds was born in Manhattan, NYC on January 5, 1952 and bounced around the world with her USAF fighter pilot father Robin Olds and Hollywood actress mother Ella Raines. Robin Roberts is an engaged woman. [80], On September 30, 1966, Olds took command of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, based at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base. Mar 11, 2023 5th Maryland Regiment at Washington's Tomb $125. His 259 total combat missions included 107 in World War II and 152 in Southeast Asia, 105 of those over North Vietnam. The baby had convulsions several times . "[26], He walked punishment tours until the day of his graduation in June. He retired in 1973 as abrigadier general. The infraction reduced him in rank from cadet captain to cadet private, characterized by Olds in his memoirs as "only the second cadet in the history of West Point to earn that dubious honor. His initial twin-engine training at Williams Field, Arizona, was in the Curtiss AT-9, followed by transition fighter training[35] to the Lockheed P-38 Lightning in its P-322 variant. He also insisted his aircraft be waxed to reduce air resistance and helped his maintenance crew carry out their tasks. In June, Olds was one of four pilots who participated in the first one-day, dawn-to-dusk, transcontinental round trip jet flight from March Field to Washington, D.C.[66], The jet demonstration performances with Herbst ended tragically on July 4, 1946, when Herbst crashed at the Del Mar Racetrack after his aircraft stalled during an encore of their routine finale in which the P-80s did a loop while configured to land. Col Olds had several general assemblies with the support staff and they were always motivational. [42], On an escort mission to Wismar on August 23, his flight was on the far left of the group's line abreast formation and encountered 4050 Messerschmitt Bf 109s near Wittenberge, flying north at the same 28,000ft (8,500m) altitude in a loose formation of three large vees. That made him one of very few that have recovered from a compressibility event. Fogerty, Ronald P. (editor, 1953), USAF Historical Study 91: Millard Preparatory School for West Point, National Museum of the United States Air Force, European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal, Vietnam Air Force Distinguished Service Order, "Eloise Wichman Oldys (1896-1926) - Find A Grave", "MG Robert Olds (1896-1943) - Find A Grave Memorial", Official Register of the Officers and Cadets, United States Military Academy, For the Academic Year Ending June 30, 1943, "USAF Historical Study 85: USAF Credits for Destruction of Enemy Aircraft, World War II", "Airman Exemplars: Gen Daniel "Chappie" James, Jr", "Robin Olds: An Unconventional Man's Fight for Conventional Warfare", "Golden Plate Awardees of the American Academy of Achievement", "Memorial Service for Brigadier General Robin Olds", "Legendary fighter pilot Robin Olds dies", USAF in SEA: Aces and Aerial Victories 19651973 No. That show starred George Segal, Wendy Malick, and Laura San Giacomo. He never forgot it. Most everybody grew a mustache. This was blocked by his father who forced him to stay at Millard. Made Deputy Chief, Air Defense Division at the Pentagon in 1958, Olds produced as series of prophetic papers calling for improved air-to-air combat training and the increased production of conventional munitions. Five days later, on February 14, he claimed three more kills but only received credit for two with the other listed as a probable., On March 25, less than two years out of West Point and at only 22 years of age, Maj. Olds received command of the 434th. With 17 career victories (thirteen in WW II plus four in Vietnam) when the triple ace died, he was Americas third-ranking living ace. Gen. Robin Olds' legacy runs far deeper than a mustache. Because do you know what that is? A new regime had arisen, and the Wolfpack began showing results. Required fields are marked *. First, he cut loose the deadwood, the ticket punchers and careerists who had sniveled some counters - missions that counted toward completion of a tour when in fact they had not gone north. I tried to contact the flight to get myself recognized, but observed an Me 109 making a pass at me from about seven o'clock high. Robin Lord Taylor is an American television and film actor, and director. While pulling hard on the yoke and turning hard left at 90. Weighing his options, he decided to risk it all and flat planed. Not that Olds needed any rejuvenating, but the group had plodded along in pedestrian fashion. [23], In 1942 he was named by Collier's Weekly as its "Lineman of the Year" and by Grantland Rice as "Player of the Year." In 1946, while based at March Field, Olds met Hollywood actress (and pin-up girl) Ella Raines on a blind date in Palm Springs. Robin Olds was born in Honolulu. [3] He retired in 1973 as a brigadier general, after 30 years of service. On that date, Colonel Olds led his strike force of eight F-4C aircraft against a key railroad and highway bridge in North Vietnam. He was 84. He was a triple ace, with a combined total of 16victories inWorld War IIand theVietnam War. Olds recalled that Ryan expressed surprise at this assessment and reflected his disagreement. After bagging another MiG-21 on May 4, Olds shot down two MiG-17s on the 20th to raise his total to 16, including the four MiGs over Vietnam. Robin Olds (1922-2007) was a U.S. Air Force fighter pilot. He was honored with a flyover and services at the United States Air Force Academy, where his ashes are housed, on June 30, 2007. Olds., National War College, P-38J aircraft, P-51 Mustang, P-51 pilots, P-51D's, P-80 Shooting Star, Palm Springs, Robert Olds, Robin Olds, Royal Canadian Air Force, SR-71 Blackbird, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Air Force-Royal Air Force, U.S. Army Air Forces, United States, United States Air Force, US Air Force Academy, USAF, World War II. Like so many other pilots and WSOs, he was energized by the new COs press-on attitude. Not Robin Olds. As a young man he was also recognized for his athletic prowess in both high school and college, being named an All-American as a lineman in college football. Flying the Gloster Meteor jet fighter, he commanded No. September 26, 2022 by John Groove. Olds was also selected as an All-American as the cadets compiled a 63 record, beating Lafayette College, Cornell, Columbia, Harvard, VMI, and Princeton, and falling to Notre Dame, Penn, and Navy. Olds wears USAF flight gear typical of the 1967 time frame, including: K-2B Flying Suit, CSU-3/P Anti-G Suit, SRU-21/P Survival Vest, PCU-3/P Torso Harness, B-3A Gloves, and a Pilot's Survival Knife. 28 Feb 2023 16:56:21 For math, science, nutrition, history . The free-wheeling environment at Ubon fueled morale, and the Wolfpacks was stratospheric. The old ways were not only out, they were deceased. By this time I was traveling in excess of 500mph (800km/h). Turning his attention to the second plane, he did not see the first one hit the ground. Compute answers using Wolfram's breakthrough technology & knowledgebase, relied on by millions of students & professionals. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Increasingly unhappy with the U.S. Air Force, despite promotions to Lieutenant Colonel (1951) and Colonel (1953), he debated retiring but was talked out of it by his friend Maj. Gen. Frederic H. Smith, Jr. In a sea of blonde bombshells, Welch broke the mold of what it meant to be a celebrity. Her relationship is with the . Robin is also best known as, U.S. Air Force fighter pilot who served in both World War II and the Vietnam War. [114] Robin Olds and Ella Raines separated in 1975 and divorced in 1976. It is not the President; it is not the Speaker of the House; nor the Leader of the Senate. The incident left its mark on Olds such that when he became Commandant of Cadets at the Air Force Academy, use of the Honor Code as an instrument for integrity rather than as a tool for petty enforcement of discipline became a point of emphasis in his administration. As he wryly noted long afterward, When I shot down my first two airplanes I was relieved to see that they had black crosses on their wings.. Adding to his glamorous image, General Olds was a former all-American football player at West Point and the husband of a movie star, Ella Raines. His ashes were interred at the US Air Force Academy. The class originally designated the Class of 1943 graduated January 19, 1943, as the, Had Olds completed the standard four-year Academy course, he would have been compelled by his height to become a bomber pilot after the AAF imposed height limitations on new fighter pilots to 5'08" [1.73m] or shorter in early 1944. Blonde bombshells, Welch broke the mold of what it meant to be celebrity! 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