After relinquishing command of the 8th TFW on September 23, 1967, Olds reported for duty to the United States Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in December 1967. He was born on July 14, 1922 and his birthplace is Honolulu, HI. A triple ace, he achieved a combined total of 16 victories in the Second World War and the Vietnam War. [3] He retired in 1973 as a brigadier general, after 30 years of service. Here's a nice shot of a sultry looking Raquel Welch lounging around back in 1967. [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]. When the MIGs responded by attacking what seemed to be F-105s, the F-4s downed seven of them. When the 479ths first commander was shot down in August 1944, Hub Zemke moved over from the fabled 56th Fighter Group and rejuvenated the Mighty Eighths last fighter outfit. 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. Remaining abroad for three years, he later oversaw the Weapons Proficiency Center at Wheelus Air Base, Libya. [94], Air Force Inspector General and Olds' West Point classmate Lt Gen Louis L. Wilson Jr. sent Olds to Southeast Asia in the autumn of 1971 to determine the state of readiness of Air Force pilots. 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. By the time he reached the front office, he reckoned that he knew all he needed to. They married in Beverly Hills on February 6, 1947, and had two daughters, Christina and Susan, and a son, Robert Ernest, who was stillborn in 1958. [73], Most of their 29-year marriage, marked by frequent extended separations and difficult homecomings, was turbulent because of a clash of lifestyles,[113] particularly her refusal to ever live in government housing on base. "[26], He walked punishment tours until the day of his graduation in June. This required some adjustment on Olds part as the single-engine Mustang handled differently than the twin-engine Lightning. [65] In late May, the 412th was ordered to undertake Project Comet a nine-city transcontinental mass formation flight. He was a "triple ace", with a combined total of 16 victories in World War II and the Vietnam War. 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. Bored after 18 years with her husband, Robin Rinaldi placed an ad seeking casual encounters with new men and women. Olds was aggressive, even mean, as a player, and received offers to attend Virginia Military Institute and Dartmouth College on football scholarships. 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. "[99] Returning home, however, marked the end of this flamboyance. Another Air Force officer who read part of the text said that it began as an ethereal discussion with the ghost of Robins father. [80], On September 30, 1966, Olds took command of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing, based at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base. Gen. Robin Olds' legacy runs far deeper than a mustache. Zak has shared photos of them all together on Instagram, including in the post seen here in which he wished his wife and son a happy Valentine's Day. "My dad and I were great buddies," said Christina Olds. Increasing concerned about F-105 Thunderchief losses to North Vietnamese MiGs during bombing missions, Olds designed Operation Bolo in late 1966. Robin Roberts is an engaged woman. 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. [119], In March 2007 Olds was hospitalized in Colorado for complications of Stage 4 prostate cancer. Your orders have to be legal and proper. This is as far away from Sister Wives that you can get with an entertainment offering. Olds returned to West Point, hoping to graduate early and see action in the war. His 259 total combat missions included 107 in World War II and 152 in Southeast Asia, 105 of those over North Vietnam. He considered it a dangerously wasteful effort, as the mill had been hit repeatedly, but its smokestacks had remained standing. 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. Not that Olds needed any rejuvenating, but the group had plodded along in pedestrian fashion. 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. Like so many other pilots and WSOs, he was energized by the new COs press-on attitude. You can download the book in thee-book format of your choice at AmazonorSmashwords. 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. It was imprinted in his genes. Olds is best known today as the father of Brig. After he received a conditional commitment for nomination from Pennsylvania Congressman J. Buell Snyder, Olds moved to Uniontown, Pennsylvania, where he lived in the YMCA and supported himself working odd jobs. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. [6][7][8] He had one younger brother, Stevan Meigs (19241988), two younger paternal half-brothers, Sterling Meigs "Dusty" (19351995) and Frederick A. Returning to the United States after the war, Olds was assigned at West Point as an assistant football coach for Red Blaik. He continued attacking in "dead-stick mode", hitting his target in the fuselage and shooting off part of its engine cowling. (later Maj. Gen.) Robert Olds and his wife Eloise, who died when Robin was four. Five P-51s made a pass on the airdrome that April day. Colonel Olds' Air Force assignments took Susan and her family to South Carolina, England, North Africa, Washington D.C,. What he valued most was the courage and skill of his aircrews. [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. [116], Olds' fondness for alcohol was well known. He warned that losses would be severe in any resumption of aerial combat. Receiving his wings from Gen. Henry Hap Arnold, Olds graduated from West Point on June 1, 1943, after completing the academys accelerated wartime curriculum. [25] In 1985 Olds was enshrined in the College Football Hall of Fame. He went through the normal in-processing routine like any other newbie, paid close attention and spoke little. Olds was born Robert Olds Jr. in Honolulu, Hawaii, on July 14, 1922, into an army family and spent much of his boyhood in Hampton, Virginia, where he attended elementary and high school. She is currently not legally married, however, confirmed on Jan. 2 she plans to wed Amber in 2023 Robin has been in a longtime. He is from USA. Show more. Zak is married to Olivia June and they have a son together named McLaurin Clement Williams Mickey for short. In mid-September, the 434th began converting to the P-51 Mustang. His ashes were interred at the US Air Force Academy. It seemed that the 38 needed help so I started down. Instagram/RobinRobertsGMAGMA's Robin Roberts flaunted her figure in a tight pink dress with sexy lace[/caption] Instagram/RobinRobertsGMARobin's dress was the color of the Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority. After brief service at Shaw AFB in South Carolina, Olds was given command of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing (TFW) at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base. As I straightened out at the top, I saw the pilot bail out. I was stationed at RAF Bentwaters while Col Olds was the wing commander and Lt Col Chappy James was the DO. That show starred George Segal, Wendy Malick, and Laura San Giacomo. Please check back often for the newest additions. In his first two dogfights, he was alone with his wingman, having left formation to hunt on his own. In addressing newly commissioned officers he said, The airman swears that he will obey the orders of the officers appointed over him. [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. [45][46] His combat report for that date concluded: Still in a shallow dive, I observed a P-38 and a Me 109 going round and round. As a result the flow of war materials into this area was appreciably reduced. He really was "larger than life." His father Robert was an aviation pioneer from the WW I era so the boy grew up in the company of airpower greats like Hap Arnold, Billy Mitchell, and Tooey Spaatz. US Air Force Brigadier General. Following his exchange assignment, Olds returned to March AFB to become operations officer of the 94th Fighter Squadron of the 1st Fighter Group, flying North American F-86A Sabres, on November 15, 1949. He is buried at the United States Air Force Academy Cemetery, Colorado Springs, Colorado. Save Article. Leading the first flight, Olds overflew the primary MiG-21 base at Phc Yn and was on a second pass when MiGs finally began popping up through the cloud base. [100], The incident with the mustache is given credit as the impetus for a new Air Force tradition, "Mustache March", in which aircrew, aircraft maintainers, and other airmen worldwide show solidarity by a symbolic, albeit good-natured "protest" for one month against Air Force facial hair regulations. 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. His father, Maj. Gen. Robert Olds, a World War I combat pilot who helped devise the United States air-power strategy, reared him as a single parent. En route he arranged with the 4453rd Combat Crew Training Wing, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Arizona, (where Col. James was now Deputy Commander of Operations) to be checked out in the Phantom, completing the 14-step syllabus in just five days. Selecting service in the U.S. Army Air Forces, Olds completed his primary flight training in the summer of 1942 at the Spartan School of Aviation in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He asserted that his superior at Third Air Force attempted to have him court-martialed, but the commander of USAFE, General Gabriel P. Disosway, instead authorized his removal from command of the 81st TFW, cancellation of a recommended Legion of Merit award, and transfer to the headquarters of the Ninth Air Force at Shaw Air Force Base, South Carolina. Piloting P-38 Lightnings and P-51 Mustangs, he shot down 12 planes during World War II. Near the end of the war, he was one of six P-51 pilots who attacked a German airdrome and found himself the lone survivor. This led him to be subject to compressibility. Turning his attention to the second plane, he did not see the first one hit the ground. Robin Olds was born on the 14th of July, 1922. Robin Olds [1] (July 14, 1922 - June 14, 2007) was an American fighter pilot and general officer in the U.S. Air Force. The wing had converted to the F101 and he loved to show us what it could do during annual air shows. He remained in the service as it became theUnited States Air Force, despite often being at odds with its leadership, and was one of its pioneer jet pilots. Her relationship is with the . His mother, Eloise Karine Oldys (ne Wichman; 18961926), died when Robin was four and he was raised by his father. I rolled over on my back, following him and gave him an ineffective burst at long range. [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. Robin Olds was an American fighter pilot and general officer in the United States Air Force. General Olds went on to serve in many countries and positions, including assignments to Air Force headquarters and the Joint Chiefs of Staff. It is the People of the United States; who, hopefully in their wisdom will guide their forces properly., Olds had been writing a memoir for several years prior to his death. Robert Olds had asked his son the status of the U.S. Air Force and got a detailed debriefing on whats wrong with the service. Somehow he got the bird on the runway and kept it in one piece. [24] In the ArmyNavy Game of 1942, which was played at Annapolis instead of Philadelphia, Olds had both upper front teeth knocked out when he received a forearm blow to the mouth while making a tackle. To make a wonderfully long story short, they lost.. Apparently resented by many on the staff for his rapid rise in rank and plethora of combat decorations,[61] Olds transferred in February 1946 to the 412th Fighter Group at March Field, California, to fly the Lockheed P-80 Shooting Star, which began a career-long professional struggle with superiors he viewed as more promotion- than warrior-minded. 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]. Following a low-level bridge-bombing mission to Montmirail, France, on August 14, Olds shot down his first German aircraft, a pair of Focke-Wulf Fw 190s. 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