Memoirs of Robin Olds

[HighGTrn]

For Father Day's, my two little boys (along with some encouragement from my wife) got me "Figther Pilot".  Its Robin Old's memoirs as written and compiled by his daughter Christina. I read the book in one sitting. What a wonderful story. By the time I finished the book in the wee hours today, I felt like I knew the guy.

In the dark, with a small reading light on as I read the final paragraphs which also told of his final days, a lump grew in my throat and almost found myself in tears (I'm sentimental that way).  No matter how bad or wrong a course our country takes, I know with Americans like Robin Olds, we will always be a land of the free and home of the brave.

I highly encourage all of you to go on the adventure I just went on and read his book.

S1n1ster

[SKJohn]

I totally agree with S1n1ster - this book is a great read!  Just finished it a couple of weeks ago myself.  It runs along the lines of "To Fly and Fight" by Bud Anderson.  Both are stories of great American fighter pilots. 

[Shifty]

I totally agree with S1n1ster - this book is a great read!  Just finished it a couple of weeks ago myself.  It runs along the lines of "To Fly and Fight" by Bud Anderson.  Both are stories of great American fighter pilots. 

Same here I finished roughly two weeks ago. A fine book about my favorite pilot. 

[dhart]

I will have to get that book! I enjoyed hearing him tell his stories in the show "Dogfights" on Discovery Channel. They dont make men like him anymore sadly, he was definitely a legend in my opinion.

Col. Robin Olds, 

[Wagger]

I have not read the book yet but will get it soon.  My father was a crew chief in the first operational jet fighter squadron that Col. Olds was in.  When I get a chance I will post a couple of pictures my dad had including Col. Olds and his crew chief.

[dtango]

You said it well HighG/s1n1ster.  Superb read.  I was thoroughly engrossed.  I had a lump in my throat as well toward the end.  Touching that his daughter put in the "lead is gone" missing man formation of F4's.  Amazing to get someone who spanned both WW2 through Vietnam.  What drastic changes in aviation to go through!  I soaked in the WW2 tales, but the Vietnam narrative was even more riveting and I got the sense of how much more intense that was compared to WW2.

If folks aren't familiar with it the EAA has a fantastic oral history from pilots called "Timeless Voices of Aviation".  Be sure to look up Gen. Robin Olds video there.  33 minutes of it filmed before he passed.  Here's the link to "Timeless Voices".

http://www.eaa.org/video/timelessvoices.html

Tango
412th FS Braunco Mustangs

[HighGTrn]

I have not read the book yet but will get it soon.  My father was a crew chief in the first operational jet fighter squadron that Col. Olds was in.  When I get a chance I will post a couple of pictures my dad had including Col. Olds and his crew chief.

Pictures would be awesome Wagger and you are right. According to the book, he was stationed at March AFB right after the big war and flew P-80s.  Just prior to going there, he spent a year at West Point coaching football.  He was dying to get back in the cockpit so he drove down to the Pentagon, talked to some buddies and presto!

I'm surprised they haven't made a movie about this guy.  Tell me this isn't the stuff of scripts:

1. College football hero.
2. Graduates from West Point
3. Flys P-38s and P-51s in the ETO
4. Flew CAP during D-Day so he has a ring side seat to the entire landing
5. Is a double ace then some by the end of WW2
6. Comes home and marries a gorgeous movie star who played opposite John Wayne
7. Creates the first Jet demonstration team
8. Is a Wing commander in Vietnam (who's wing has the most kills of any wing in the entire war! 27 MIGs Dead! and 4 of those were his)
9. Becomes the Commandant of the USAFA and the USAF IG.
9. Retires a Brigadier Gen.
10. Last but not least, can sport a handle bar mustache that is the envy of the free world.

By the way Wagger, the book said that Olds seemed to have an extra special place in his heart for his ground crew. He once saw a young airman with a broken leg in a cast working so hard through the night to get the next day's launch out on time... Olds saw the young airman was passed out on the tarmac the next morning as he was climbing into his F4.  He said he cried upon seeing that.