But he was contemptuous of the Air Forces attitude toward air combat, exclaiming, The best flying job in the world is a MiG-21 pilot at Phuc Yen. Table of Contents show. At first on the command staff of the 86th Fighter-Interceptor Wing at Landstuhl Air Base, West Germany, Olds then commanded its Sabre-equipped 86th Fighter-Interceptor Group from October 8, 1955, to August 10, 1956. The fact that his book remains unfinished represents a major loss to aviation literature. Gen. Robin Olds, a World War II fighter ace who became an aviation legend by commanding the Air Force wing that shot down seven MIGs over North Vietnam in the biggest air battle of the Vietnam War, died last Thursday at his home in Steamboat Springs, Colo. Scat XXVII (F-4C-24-MC 64-0829) was retired from operational service and placed on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio. Promoted to brigadier general on June 1, 1968, he worked to restore pride in the school after a large cheating scandal had blackened its reputation. To the new Inspector General, Lt. Gen. Ernest C. Hardin, Jr., Olds offered to take a voluntary reduction in rank to Colonel so he could return to operational command and straighten out the situation. Olds toured USAF bases in Thailand (flying several unauthorized combat missions in the process) and brought back a blunt assessment. Gen. Robin Olds' legacy runs far deeper than a mustache. For five minutes these bogeys paralleled the bomber stream while the 479th held station. Robin Olds (July 14th, 1922 - June 14th, 2007) was an American fighter pilot and general officer in the U.S. Air Force. He was honored with a flyover and services at the United States Air Force Academy, where his ashes are housed, on June 30, 2007. I thought I had been hit by some of the ground fire I had observed in the vicinity. A woman named Robyn appeared as a model back in 1997 on the series Just Shoot Me. Zak is married to Olivia June and they have a son together named McLaurin Clement Williams Mickey for short. In all, he downed 16 enemy aircraft in the two wars, making him a triple ace. Rising to the command of two fighter wings, Olds is regarded among aviation historians, and his peers, as the best wing commander of the Vietnam War, for both his air-fighting skills, and his reputation as a combat leader. Mar 11, 2023 5th Maryland Regiment at Washington's Tomb $125. Explore Robin Olds Wiki Age, Height, Biography as Wikipedia, Wife, Family relation. His 259 total combat missions included 107 in World War II and 152 in Southeast Asia, 105 of those over North Vietnam. [34], Second lieutenant Olds completed fighter pilot training with the 329th Fighter Group, an operational training unit based at Grand Central Air Terminal in Glendale, California. Weighing his options, he decided to risk it all and flat planed. 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. As our way to help you celebrate the New Year, were offering the first book in the Hamfist series FREE! [98], Olds often lamented the lack of an internal gun in the F-4C he flew during his tour in Vietnam, but would not allow his fighters to be equipped with the gun pods then available. He was a "triple ace", with a combined total of 16 victories in World War II and the Vietnam War. I was the only one to return homeWhen I tested the stall characteristics of my wounded bird over our home airfield, I found it quit flying at a little over 175mph (282km/h) indicated and rolled violently into the dead wing (note: the right flap had been blown away and two large holes knocked in the same wing). Some of the movies and films that made him famous and well-known in the movie industry are when he played a role as Oswald Cobblepot in the Fox TV series Gotham in 2016, Another Earth in 2011, Would You Rather in 2012, s Accepted in 2006, You in 2019 and also in the same year 2019 he did play . If you ever wanted to fly a P-51 Mustang in combat over Germany or shoot down a MiG over North Vietnam flying your F-4 Phantom, reading this is the closest you can get without actually doing it. Olds' class was given an abridged second class course of study until January 19, 1943, when it began an abridged first class course. [71] A lack of aggressiveness and sense of purpose in the wing had led to the change in command (Olds' predecessor had flown only 12 missions during the 10 months the wing had been in combat). Lt Col James was as motivational whenever I saw him speak. Over the next few months, Olds continued to personally lead his men into combat. And the wife of talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw is finally revealing the secret to her youthful look. He was a "triple ace", with a combined total of 17 victories in World War II and the Vietnam War. Olds had made ace in both the P-38 and P-51, probably the only pilot ever to do so. Olds used to say that the two best things about World War II were London and Col. Zemke. "My dad and I were great buddies," said Christina Olds. In a gesture of individuality, he grew an enormous, meticulously waxed handlebar mustache. 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. By the time he reached the front office, he reckoned that he knew all he needed to. [27] During his Academy years Olds also acquired a strong contempt for alumni networking, commonly called "ring knocking",[28] to the degree that he went out of his way to conceal his West Point background. In contrast, todays sedate, sober young professionals are superbly educated, highly competent, and terrified that they might say something that somebody would find objectionable. He considered it a dangerously wasteful effort, as the mill had been hit repeatedly, but its smokestacks had remained standing. Olds left the 81st in 1965 after forming an aerial demonstration team without command authorization. He was a "triple ace", with a combined total of 17 victories in World War II and the Vietnam War. Good Morning America anchor Robin Roberts just returned from a stunning vacation in Croatia with her partner of around 17 years, Amber Laign.. Roberts posted a couple of photos from the trip on . He was no less than one of the greatest fighter pilots in U.S. history a triple ace who scored at least 17 victories in World. He was assigned duties as operations officer of the 434th Fighter squadron. He was active in public speaking, making 21 events as late in his life as 2005 and 13 in 2006. I was stationed at RAF Bentwaters while Col Olds was the wing commander and Lt Col Chappy James was the DO. He stood before the F-4C Phantom crews and said, Im going to start here by flying Green Sixteen (tail-end Charlie) and you guys are going to teach me how. Sitting in the audience was Capt. It caught us unprepared because we weren't allowed to learn it or practice it in training. I knew McConnell understood. Follow-up interceptions over the next two days by MiGs against RF-4C reconnaissance aircraft led to a similar mission on a smaller scale on January 6, with another two MiG-21s shot down. His inability to rise higher as a general officer is attributed to both his maverick views and his penchant for drinking.[4]. Returning to the United States after the war, Olds was assigned at West Point as an assistant football coach for Red Blaik. 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.. Olds, briefly hospitalized during the incident for facial cuts, pleaded guilty in return for charges of weaving and felony vehicular eluding being dropped. 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. Returning north, he passed through advanced training at Stewart Field in New York. U.S. Air Force fighter pilot who served in both World War II and the Vietnam War. He knew from his sources that all was not well in the 8th TFW and resolved to see it from the perspective of the FNG (the freaking new guy). He retired in 1973 as a brigadier general. Robin first flew at age 8 in an open-cockpit biplane operated by his father. The unit was under the command of then-Col. Robin Olds, who James knew from working at the Pentagon. Olds dove to help and in his excitement dove too fast. Robin Roberts is an anchor on ABC's Good Morning America. Gen. Robin Olds, died June 14 from congestive heart failure one month short of his 85th birthday. Olds next became commander of the 81st Tactical Fighter Wing at RAF Bentwaters, England, a McDonnell F-101 Voodoo fighter-bomber wing, on September 8, 1963. [111] They married in Beverly Hills on February 6, 1947, and had: Christina Eloise Olds (1952), formerly married to Eric Newman with whom she has a daughter, Jennifer Olds Newman; Susan Bird Scott-Risner (ne Olds; 19532018), she was married to David Scott-Risner. After downing a Bf 109 over Berlin on Oct. 6, Olds completed his initial combat tour in November and was given two months leave in the United States. [118], Days later, on July 21, 2001, Olds was enshrined at Dayton, Ohio, in the National Aviation Hall of Fame Class of 2001, along with test pilot Joe H. Engle, Marine Corps ace Marion E. Carl, and Albert Lee Ueltschi. To the new Inspector General, Lt Gen Ernest C. Hardin Jr., Olds offered to take a voluntary reduction in rank to colonel so he could return to operational command and straighten out the situation. With the end of the war in Europe in May, Olds tally stood at 12 kills as well as 11.5 destroyed on the ground. [106], In 1968, Olds received the Golden Plate Award of the American Academy of Achievement. She tells what happened on her yearlong sex . Mar 11, 2023 [Civil War, Ambrotype] New Hampshire Soldier & Wife $350. But his greatest moment came on Jan. 2, 1967, when, as a colonel, he created an aerial trap for enemy MIGs. A stunning success, Operation Bolo effectively eliminated the MiG threat for most of the spring of 1967. At about 4,000ft (1,200m), the Jerry, still way out of my range, turned under me and slightly to the right. It was more about people he knew.. Receiving his wings from Gen. Henry Hap Arnold, Olds graduated from West Point on June 1, 1943, after completing the academys accelerated wartime curriculum. When is Robin Roberts Marrying? . Olds had a highly publicized career and life, including marriage to Hollywood actress Ella Raines. [68], Olds was assigned to command the 71st Fighter Squadron, which was soon detached from the 1st FG to the Air Defense Command and based at the Greater Pittsburgh Airport in Pennsylvania. It departed the Los Angeles area on April 15 for Camp Kilmer, New Jersey, and shipped aboard the USS Argentina for Europe on May 3. Despite intense, accurately directed fire, multiple surface-to-air missile attacks on his force, and continuous harassment by MiG fighters defending the target, Colonel Olds, with undaunted determination, indomitable courage, and professional skill, led his force through to help destroy this significant bridge. His mother, Eloise Karine Oldys (ne Wichman; 18961926), died when Robin was four and he was raised by his father. The iconic actor died in 2014. . MiG interceptions increased as a result, primarily by MiG-21s using high-speed hit-and-run tactics against bomb-laden F-105 formations, and although only two bombers had been lost, the threat to the force was perceived as serious. Just as Olds began firing, both engines of his P-38 quit from fuel exhaustion; in the excitement of the attack he had neglected to switch to his internal fuel tanks. Robin Lord Taylor Biography. [55], His final World War II aerial kill occurred on April 7, 1945, when Olds in Scat VI led the 479th Fighter Group on a mission escorting B-24s bombing an ammunition dump in Lneburg, Germany. Big pieces flew off, flame and smoke poured out, and the airplane rolled off to the right. He retired in 1973 as a Brigadier General of the United States Air Force (USAF) after 30 years of service. Born on July 14, 1922 in Honolulu, Olds was the son of Robert Olds, a fighter pilot in World War I and later an aide to Billy Mitchell. In 1946, while based at March Field, Olds met Hollywood actress (and "pin-up girl") Ella Raines on a blind date in Palm Springs. Despite his MiG-killing fame, he was perhaps proudest of the strike against North Vietnams best-defended target: Thai Nguyen steel mill. By Kayla Keegan Updated: Jan 4, 2023. Increasing concerned about F-105 Thunderchief losses to North Vietnamese MiGs during bombing missions, Olds designed Operation Bolo in late 1966. The Air Force said the cause was congestive heart failure. Robin Olds was an American fighter pilot and general officer in the United States Air Force. [3] He retired in 1973 as a brigadier general, after 30 years of service. Apart from Maurice, he had one sister, Lesley Evans, and two brothers, Barry and Andy. Robin Olds, who died four years ago at age 85, lived a story-book life. Army's record in 1941 was 531, with wins over The Citadel, VMI, Yale, Columbia, and West Virginia, a scoreless tie with Notre Dame, and losses to Harvard, Penn and Navy. ChristinaOlds is the daughter of Robin Olds, an Americanfighter pilotand general officer in theU.S. Air Force. Gen. Robin Olds, a World War II fighter ace who became an aviation legend by commanding the Air Force wing that shot down seven MIGs over North Vietnam in the biggest air battle of the. General Olds received many medals, including the Air Force Cross, the branchs second-highest decoration. Olds and Herbst performed a two-ship aerobatic routine that thrilled the crowds at every stop, the highlight being a three-day layover in Washington, D.C. As a result, SAM attacks shifted to the Phantoms, which were unprotected because of a shortage of pods. [94], In February 1971 he began his last duty assignment as director of aerospace safety in the Office of the Inspector General, Headquarters USAF, and after December 1971 as part of the Air Force Inspection and Safety Center, a newly activated separate operating agency located at Norton Air Force Base, California. Robin Olds was born on July 14, 1922, in Honolulu. He had earlier been treated for prostate cancer. Olds is best known today as the father of Brig. Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, he received an assignment to report to the West Coast for training on P-38 Lightnings. General Olds went on to serve in many countries and positions, including assignments to Air Force headquarters and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. In 1925 when he was only three, he accompanied his father to Mitchells famed court-martial. 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. Join us as we chronicle and celebrate this larger-than-life Renaissance man with an informative look into what made Robin Olds the legend that he is today. [76] James and Olds worked closely together for a year as a command team and developed both a professional and social relationship which was later renewed in combat. He retired in 1973 as a brigadier general. On the evening of June 14, 2007 he died from congestive heart failure in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, a month before his 85th birthday. Upon reaching the denser air at lower altitudes he regained control of his P-38 and pulled up. [89], On May 4, Olds destroyed another MiG-21 over Phc Yn. Enshrined in the National Aviation Hall of Fame in 2001, Olds later died on June 14, 2007. In an ultra-low-level attack, leaving rooster tails on the paddies behind them, Olds and two wingmen put their bombs on target. He also claimed three more unofficial kills that could not be verified by witnesses. And he was born to fly. For math, science, nutrition, history . At 12, he vowed to attend West Point, where he hoped to play football and begin the path to becoming a military aviator. Poor weather caused a 24-hour delay, but even then, a solid overcast covered the North Vietnamese airbases at Phc Yn, Gia Lam, Kp, and Cat Bai when the bogus strike force began arriving over the target area, five-minute intervals separating the flights of F-4s. "[99] Returning home, however, marked the end of this flamboyance. Very little attention was paid to strafing, dive-bombing, rocketry, stuff like that. Robin's oldest daughter, Susan lead off the remembrances with stories of being a teenager living at the Academy while Robin was Commandant of Cadets for 3 years. You can download the book in thee-book format of your choice at AmazonorSmashwords. [4], Olds was promoted to brigadier general after returning from Vietnam but did not hold another major command. [71] As his Deputy Commander of Operations Olds brought with him Colonel Daniel "Chappie" James Jr., whom he had met during his Pentagon assignment and who would go on to become the first African-American 4-star Air Force general. His reputation as a superbly skilled fighter pilot and outstanding leader continues to inspire active duty, retired and aspiring pilots and air crews alike. Brigadier General Robin Olds' next assignment was as Commandant of . This is as far away from Sister Wives that you can get with an entertainment offering. Far too many military personnel, policemen, and politicians mouth their oath of office as a rote exercise. Like so many other pilots and WSOs, he was energized by the new COs press-on attitude. He is most remembered for 16 victories in World War II and the Vietnam War. [89], The F-4s and their crews, however, proved equal to the situation and claimed seven MiG-21s destroyed, almost half of the 16 then in service with the VPAF without loss to USAF aircraft. [37], Olds was promoted to first lieutenant on December 1, 1943. When Nazi Germany invaded Poland in 1939, Olds attempted to join the Royal Canadian Air Force but was thwarted by his father's refusal to approve his enlistment papers. [39] Olds flew a new P-38J Lightning that he nicknamed Scat II. [120], Olds is remembered as the Class Exemplar of the Academy Class of 2011, which had begun Basic Cadet Training, the first step towards becoming Air Force officers, two days before Olds' funeral.[121]. He passed the West Point entrance examination and was accepted into the Class of 1944 on June 1, 1940. She is a well-known actress who has appeared in many television shows. 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