208 cadets including Olds completed the course, while five classmates died in accidents. Commissioned as a Second Lieutenant, he received an assignment to report to the West Coast for training on P-38 Lightnings. "[99] Returning home, however, marked the end of this flamboyance. In October 1966, strike force Republic F-105 Thunderchiefs were equipped with QRC-160 radar jamming pods whose effectiveness virtually ended their losses to surface-to-air missiles. The baby had convulsions several times . Olds had administrative and staff duty assignments at the Pentagon between 1958 and 1962 as the Deputy Chief, Air Defense Division, Headquarters USAF. [103], When the Operation Linebacker bombing campaign began in May 1972, American fighter jets returned to the offense in the skies over North Vietnam for the first time in nearly four years. After her fathers death, Christina spent years combing through her fathers notes, diaries and unfinished memoir to complete a captivating, intimate memoir of the consummate fighter pilot. As viewers may know, the ABC co-host never . Recently the ABC anchor revealed that she was "grateful for all of her co-stars" in an Instagram post that showed her receiving a major "honor" from the National Press Foundation. This was blocked by his father who forced him to stay at Millard. Lt Col James was as motivational whenever I saw him speak. Olds returned to the game and reportedly was cheered by the Navy Third and Fourth Classes, which were assigned as the Army cheering section when wartime travel restrictions prevented the Corps of Cadets from attending. [21], As a plebe, Olds played football on a freshman squad that began the season with three losses but finished 341 while the varsity won only one game in its second consecutive losing season. This called for 8th TFW F-4s to mimic F-105 operations in an effort to draw enemy aircraft into combat. 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. You can download the book in thee-book format of your choice at AmazonorSmashwords. [71] He then was made chief of the Weapons Proficiency Center at Wheelus Air Base, Libya, in charge of all fighter weapons training for the United States Air Forces Europe until July 1958.[72]. But think about how to protect and defend the Constitution. He was married to the actress Ella Raines from 1947 to 1976, and he married Morgan Barnett in 1978 and remained married to her until 1993. He was flying so low, he said in an interview that year, that it seemed the gunners on roofs were shooting down at him. He was not happy. But his report and analysis were not well received, and his recommendations were ignored. Passed away at 10 o'clock Wednesday night at the Menorah Hospital in Kansas City, following an illness of about a week. [77], Olds formed a demonstration team for the F-101 using pilots of his wing, without command authorization, and performed at an Air Force open house at Bentwaters. Through his extraordinary heroism, superb airmanship, and aggressiveness in the face of hostile forces, Colonel Olds reflected the highest credit upon himself and the United States Air Force. He was active in public speaking, making 21 events as late in his life as 2005 and 13 in 2006. And he was born to fly. 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. 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. 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. [9][10][11][12][13], Growing up primarily at Langley Field, Virginia,[14] Olds virtually made daily contact with the small group of officers who would lead the U.S. Army Air Forces in World War II (one neighbor was Major Carl Spaatz, destined to become the first Chief of Staff of the USAF),[15] and as a result was imbued with an unusually strong dedication to the air service, and conversely, with a low tolerance for officers who did not exhibit the same. 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. She is currently not legally married, however, confirmed on Jan. 2 she plans to wed Amber in 2023 Robin has been in a longtime. [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. [36] After gunnery training at Matagorda, Texas in the first half of August 1943, he was assigned to P-38 phase training at Muroc Army Air Field, California. His inability to rise higher as a general officer is attributed to both his maverick views and his penchant for drinking.[4]. To make a wonderfully long story short, they lost.. 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. "My dad and I were great buddies," said Christina Olds. The Focke Wulf zoomed up and the pilot bailed out. ", David Hartman, Aviation writer and original host of Good Morning America. [22], Olds played on the varsity college football team in both 1941 and 1942. Olds states that following the shoot down of his fourth MiG, he intentionally avoided shooting down a fifth, even though he had at least ten opportunities to do so, because he had learned in the middle of June that Seventh Air Force, at the direction of Secretary of the Air Force Harold Brown, would immediately relieve him of command to return to the United States as a publicity asset if he did. [67], Olds went to England under the U.S. Air Force/Royal Air Force Exchange Program in 1948. [32] Olds received his pilot's wings personally from Gen. Henry H. Arnold on May 30, 1943,[33] and graduated on June 1 as a member of the Class of June 1943, 194th in general merit of 514 graduates. But partly because his manner of defiant individualism was a thorn in the side of superiors, he was unsuccessful in efforts to be assigned to Korea, and did not return to combat for 22 years. [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." [3] He retired in 1973 as a brigadier general, after 30 years of service. What to do? 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. He is also remembered for his extravagantly waxed and non-regulation handlebar moustache he wore during his tour in Southeast Asia,. Despite her impressively long resume, she'll probably always be best remembered for her role in . He was a 2001 inductee of the National Aviation Hall of. General McConnell stuck a finger under Colonel Oldss nose and commanded, Take it off., Robin Olds, 84, Fighter Ace and Hero of Big Vietnam Battle, Dies, https://www.nytimes.com/2007/06/20/us/20olds.html. [39] Olds flew a new P-38J Lightning that he nicknamed Scat II. His father died of pneumonia on April 28, 1943, after hospitalization for constrictive pericarditis and Libman-Sacks endocarditis,[108][109] at the age of 46, just prior to Olds' graduation from West Point.[110]. Colonel Olds' Air Force assignments took Susan and her family to South Carolina, England, North Africa, Washington D.C,. [94], The President of the United States of America, authorized by Title 10, Section 8742, United States Code, takes pleasure in presenting the Air Force Cross to Colonel Robin Olds (AFSN: 0-26046), United States Air Force, for extraordinary heroism in military operations against an opposing armed force while serving as Strike Mission Commander in the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, Ubon Royal Thai Air Base, Thailand, against the Paul Doumer Bridge, a major north-south transportation link on Hanoi's Red River in North Vietnam, on 11 August 1967. Robin first flew at age 8 in an open-cockpit biplane operated by his father. [70], Promoted to lieutenant colonel on February 20, 1951, and colonel April 15, 1953, while just thirty years of age and just short of ten years from his graduation from West Point, Olds served unenthusiastically in several staff assignments until returning to flying in 1955. Your email address will not be published. He retired in 1973 as a brigadier general, after 30 years of service. [54] Promoted to major on February 9, 1945, Olds claimed his seventh victory southeast of Magdeburg, Germany the same day, downing another Bf 109. Save Article. He is most remembered for 16 victories in World War II and the Vietnam War. [46] Olds became an ace on both of his combat tours and was twice awarded the Silver Star, for the mission of August 25 and for the achievements of himself and his squadron during his combined tours.[60]. By this time I was traveling in excess of 500mph (800km/h). Most of their 29-year marriage, marked by frequently extended separations and difficult homecomings, was turbulent because of a clash of lifestyles, particularly her refusal to ever live in government housing on base. Gen. Billy Mitchell. And the wife of talk show host Dr. Phil McGraw is finally revealing the secret to her youthful look. Her earliest memory was the Transatlantic crossing from New York to England on the Queen Mary. On the evening of June 14, 2007 he died from congestive heart failure in Steamboat Springs, Colorado, a month before his 85th birthday. Olds replied, "Yes, sir.". Returning north, he passed through advanced training at Stewart Field in New York. [84] The Olds-James combination became popularly nicknamed "Blackman and Robin". He later reflected on the hazards of such missions: I was hit by flak as I was pulling out of a dive-strafing pass on an airfield called Tarnewitz, up on the Baltic. [21] Olds completed Millard Prep and applied for admission to the United States Military Academy at West Point. It is not the President; it is not the Speaker of the House; nor the Leader of the Senate. 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. Not Robin Olds. 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 . [40] Olds' crew chief, T/Sgt. General Olds has been an inspiration to many people throughout his lifetime. He retired in 1973 as abrigadier general. After assisting in generating the funding for the classified SR-71 Blackbird program, Olds attended the National War College in 1962-1963. Because do you know what that is? [4], Olds was promoted to brigadier general after returning from Vietnam but did not hold another major command. When Operation Linebacker began in May 1972, American fighter jets returned to the offense in the skies over North Vietnam for the first time in nearly four years. He also claimed three more unofficial kills that could not be verified by witnesses. 367K views 7 years ago The USAF F-4 Phantom II, painted up in the colors of triple ace Robin Olds, performs flybys during the Saturday night airshow at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2015. Like so many other pilots and WSOs, he was energized by the new COs press-on attitude. It was something of an exaggeration, but it contained an element of truth: Robin Olds was built for war. 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. Christina Olds is the daughter of Robin Olds, an American fighter pilot and general officer in the U.S. Air Force. That is by, for, and of The People. Amber is a massage therapist. The son of an Army Air Corps general, Robin Olds (July 14, 1922 - June 14, 2007) is best known as a Triple Ace combat pilot who was willing to break a few rules to get the job done. 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. Receiving his wings from Gen. Henry Hap Arnold, Olds graduated from West Point on June 1, 1943, after completing the academys accelerated wartime curriculum. 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. On that date, Colonel Olds led his strike force of eight F-4C aircraft against a key railroad and highway bridge in North Vietnam. It was thought to be unnecessary. Very little attention was paid to strafing, dive-bombing, rocketry, stuff like that. Gen. Robin Olds, died June 14 from congestive heart failure one month short of his 85th birthday. His 259 total combat missions included 107 in World War II and 152 in Southeast Asia, 105 of those over North Vietnam. Your orders have to be legal and proper. At 6feet 2inches in height (1.88m) and weighing 205pounds (92kg), he played tackle on both offense and defense, lettering both seasons. Apart from Maurice, he had one sister, Lesley Evans, and two brothers, Barry and Andy. 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 . His mother, Eloise Karine Oldys (ne Wichman; 18961926), died when Robin was four and he was raised by his father. Remaining abroad for three years, he later oversaw the Weapons Proficiency Center at Wheelus Air Base, Libya. In February 1946, Olds obtained a transfer to the 412th Fighter Group at March Field, California, and trained on the P-80 Shooting Star. Through a career in the United States Air Force spanning 30 years, plus 34 years of active retirement, Robin Olds led a remarkable and exemplary life. Deciding on a military career at the age of 12, Olds attended Hampton High School in Hampton Virginia where he became a standout football player. Robin Hugh Gibb was born on 22 December 1949 in Jane Crookall Maternity Home in Douglas, Isle of Man, to Barbara Gibb (ne Pass) and Hugh Gibb.He was the fraternal twin of Maurice Gibb and was the older of the two by 35 minutes. Robin Olds (July 14, 1922 - June 14, 2007) was an American fighter pilot and general officer in the U.S. Air Force. His Air Force Cross Citation reads: Your email address will not be published. Flying the Gloster Meteor jet fighter, he commanded No. Navy and Marine Corps fighters, reaping the benefits of their TOPGUN program, immediately enjoyed considerable success. General Olds went on to serve in many countries and positions, including assignments to Air Force headquarters and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Another Air Force officer who read part of the text said that it began as an ethereal discussion with the ghost of Robins father. [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. The TV anchor said that she and her girlfriend of 23 years would walk down the aisle this year. 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. Naturally he wanted to follow in their footsteps. [18] At the age of 12, Olds made attending the U.S. Military Academy at West Point an objective to accomplish his goals of becoming an officer and a military aviator, as well as playing football. For math, science, nutrition, history . I rolled over on my back, following him and gave him an ineffective burst at long range. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. The Bf 109 passed beneath him and as he rolled the nose down he fired, taking the Bf 109 out before heading home. [51] Olds shot down an Fw 190 in his new Scat VI on October 6 during a savage battle near Berlin in which he was nearly shot down by his own wingman. From 1967 to 1971, he was commandant of cadets at the Air Force Academy. The man was bigger than life and reading his memoir will confirm all the amazing stories about this legendary fighter pilot. Five years later, young Robin flew for the first time when his father took him up in an open-cockpit biplane. He was a "triple ace", with a combined total of 16 victories in World War II and the Vietnam War. [19], His father was made commander of the pioneer Boeing B-17 Flying Fortress equipped 2nd Bombardment Group at Langley Field on March 1, 1937, and promoted to lieutenant colonel on March 7. 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