Legendary fighter pilot
Robin Olds dies

Col. Robin Olds
preflights his F-4C Phantom before a mission in
Southwest Asia. He was the commander of the 8th Tactical
Fighter Wing at Ubon Air Base, Thailand, and was
credited with shooting down four enemy MiG aircraft in
aerial combat over North Vietnam. (U.S. Air Force
photo)

6/15/2007 - U.S. AIR FORCE
ACADEMY, Colo. (AFPN) -- Legendary fighter pilot,
retired Brig. Gen. Robin Olds, died June 14 from congestive
heart failure one month short of his 85th birthday.

General
Olds, rated a triple ace for having shot down a total of 16
enemy aircraft during World War II and the Vietnam War, served his
country in assignments to England, Germany, Libya, Thailand and the
United States, in positions of squadron, base, group and wing
commander, and assignments to Headquarters U.S. Air Force and the
Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"Triple-ace Robin Olds' legendary
leadership and heroic service to the cause of freedom have been an
inspiration to our nation and our Air Force," said Air Force Chief
of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley. "He is one of our 'great captains'
and a pioneer of air power.

"He became an ace with 12 aerial
victories during World War II, flying P-38 Lightnings and P-51
Mustangs, and later shot down 4 MiGs in Vietnam to bring his total
to 16. He also led the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing -- the famed
"Wolfpack" -- to a record 24 aerial victories, a total unsurpassed
by any other wing during the war in Southeast Asia," the general
said.

"Throughout his career, he was a staunch advocate
for better fighters, better pilot training and new tactics,
culminating in the war-winning air-to-air tactics and doctrine of
surgical precision bombing we use today. Brigadier General Olds'
courageous life stands as a timeless example of the power of faith
and the strength of the human spirit.

"Our thoughts and
prayers are with his devoted family as they mourn his loss, a loss
we feel as well. America and our Air Force are eternally grateful
for his leadership and accomplishments, and will remember him
always," General Moseley said.

General Olds was
born in Honolulu, Hawaii, on July 14, 1922, the son of Maj. Gen.
Robert and Mrs. Eloise Olds. He spent his younger years in Hampton,
Va., and attended the United States Military Academy at West Point,
where he was an All-American tackle.  He graduated in 1943 as a
second lieutenant.

Following graduation from pilot training
in 1943, General Olds was assigned to the European Theater at the
end of World War II, where he flew 107 combat missions.  During
the Vietnam War, he flew 152 combat missions in the F-4 Phantom
as the wing commander of the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing at Ubon Air
Base, Thailand.

General Olds' exploits as the creator and
mission commander of Operation Bolo, the most successful aerial
battle of the Vietnam War, has been documented in the recent History
Channel Dogfights Special series "Air Ambush."

He was
assigned to the first jet P-80 squadron in 1946; was a member of the
first jet Aerial Acrobatic Demonstration Team; won second place in
the Thompson Trophy Race, jet division, in Cleveland, in 1946; and
participated in the first dawn-to-dusk transcontinental round trip
flight. He was a squadron commander of Royal Air Force No.1 Fighter
Squadron, Sussex, England, during an exchange tour in 1948.

General Olds' military decorations include the Air Force
Cross, Distinguished Service Medal, Silver Star with three oak leaf
clusters, Legion of Merit, Distinguished Flying Cross with five oak
leaf clusters, Air Medal with 39 oak leaf clusters, British
Distinguished Flying Cross, French Croix de Guerre, Vietnam Air
Force Distinguished Service Order, Vietnam Air Gallantry Medal with
gold wings, and Vietnam Air Service Medal.

After his duty in
Vietnam, General Olds was named commandant of cadets at the
U.S. Air Force Academy from 1967 to 1971. His last assignment
before retiring from the Air Force in 1973 was as director of safety
for the Air Force.

Up to a few months prior to his illness
he was frequently called upon as guest speaker and lecturer for his
inspirational and motivational talks. He was married to Ella
Raines, who died in 1988, and then to Morgan Olds.

General
Olds is survived by two daughters, Christina Olds of Vail, Colo.,
and Susan Scott-Risner of North Bend, Wash.; one granddaughter,
Jennifer Newman of Santa Monica, Calif., and half-brother, Fred Olds
of Virginia. He died peacefully at his home in Steamboat Springs,
Colo., in the company of family and friends.

A memorial
service will be held at the U.S. Air Force Academy within the next
two weeks. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Red
River Valley Fighter Pilots Association toward scholarships for
the children or spouses of armed forces aircrew members killed or
missing in action.

This list shows General Olds' official
aerial victory credits.

Comment on this story (comments may be
published on Air Force Link)

Click here to view
the comments/letters page