Brig. Gen. Robin Olds: Warrior, Scholar, Total Badass

Medium.com ^ | 25 Aug 2018 | Tony Carr

[Mark17]

No mention of “Black Man and Robin”.

I was going to mention it, but you already did, so no need to. 😁

[Mark17]

Robin Olds was Commandant of Cadets when I was at the Air Force Academy.

My son is now a USAF 2nd Lt. I am a retired Master Sgt. You can best believe, I gave him an earful, before he was sworn in. I told him not to forget who was repairing the aircraft he would fly, or who would put him in a holding pattern, and clear him for the approach, when they were ready. He understands where I am coming from. 👍

[SkyPilot]

Thank you for posting this Jet, and to extexasredhead for the ping. If I may, please allow me to add a few personal anecdotes to this fine thread.

I had the distinct honor of meeting General Olds when he came to my base when I was in pilot training. He had long since retired, however, our Wing Commander knew him in Vietnam and invited him to fly with us and talk with us. He was everything people imagine he was. And here’s something else: while I was still trying to learn the ropes of the T-38, we watched Gen Olds climb in one, gaze around the cockpit, start engines, and take off. Afterwards, we learned he had not flown a T-38 for 15 years. But that was his piloting skill.

He spoke about combat, leadership, and patriotism. He walked around the flight rooms like a god, and we were amazed by him. That day, a student failed his T-38 formation check ride. We saw Gen Olds, meeting with him and encouraging him. The student passed the check ride 2 days later.

Years later, a General who I will not name here told a gathering of officers and enlisted that the Clinton administration was scape goating the Khobar Towers affair, and Gen Fogelman was probably going to resign because of that and the way Congress and the Clintons had politicized the Kelly Flynn case. General Fogelman did resign, and his resignation was completely lost on Congress and the American people. They seemed to not even care.

I saw General Fogelman and his wife about a year and a half ago. He became a millionaire in retirement through various business ventures. One was a porta-potty business that he launched that was wildly successful. I related to him that he encouraged and spoke to our squadron when we were flying missions into Bosnia, and he said he was grateful to have had those opportunities. He is a man of principle and integrity - just like Gen Olds.

Two years ago, Air Force members (on their own accord) launched “Mustache March.” Many officers and enlisted grew out of regulation mustaches as a tribute to General Olds.

[OrioleFan]

Thats great. Thank you and your son for your service. My daughter is a AF Captain, a weather officer. She tutors her enlisted people in math and helps them get their undergraduate degree so the can go to Maxwell and become officers. She has 4 or 5 that have done it now. She is starting on her Masters this fall. She’s had one tour in Afghanistan.

[Mark17]

She’s had one tour in Afghanistan.

I am sure it isn’t a garden spot. I was in Vietnam, and that was bad enough. I worked one of the world’s busiest airports, and I survived it. 👍

[vetvetdoug]

General James selected and presented me with one of the most prestigious honors I ever received, Outstanding Airman of the Year" (1976). My Father was a SM/Sgt, two uncles were SM/Sgts, one uncle I never met was a member of the 325th Glider and was killed in Algeria during WWII, and a cousin I never met was a B-29 pilot in the USAAF and was killed over Tokyo in May of 1945 in the famous raid that lost 500 airmen. I was reared in the USAF and my Father was the super at Takli while Jack Broughton was the head F-105 pilot and personally destroyed his nose film upon return after he strafed the Russians at Haiphong Harbor. My Father knew Curtis LeMay, General James, Gen Olds, as he was an advanced aircraft mechanic for the F-4, F-105, C-130, RB-66 and B-57. At Bien Hoa he was almost killed when the VC mortared several F-105's that he'd just re certified fit to fly. The USAF was my home before I went back to college and left during the malaise of the late 1970's but reentered the ANG until 1983. I'm proud of my USAF heritage and watch the changes being made to the service, both good and bad.

[Mark17]

I was at Bien Hoa, 70-71. At that time, we had USAF A-37s and Vietnamese F-5s. Before that, F-100s. I didn’t know any Thuds were there. I thought they were flying out of Takhli and Korat. At one time, I think I knew people at ever base in Vietnam and Thailand, plus Clark and Anderson. I knew the NCO who was working approach at Clark, when commercial and back up power failed. It was a miracle, that no one augered in. I can’t say I miss all that drama. 😁😊

[bravo whiskey]

I could see Tom Selleck playing him. Believe Olds died in Glenwood Springs. The USAF rugby 7s jerseys (the tournament in Glendale, CO ended yesterday) have a picture of Olds on the front.

[vetvetdoug]

My Father was there in 68’ and was TDY there from Takhli to recertify an F-105 that was there. It was blown up in the enclosure along with firemen that tried to put the fire out. 30 years later in a hayfield in Mississippi my Father and an ex Marine discovered that they had been in the same engagement, the Marine chasing the VC that sent the mortars and my Father curled up in a bunker next to the exploding F-105. The Marine recounted the attack in eerie detail. In 1965 my Father lost several of his friends during the disaster in May that killed several airmen when B-57’s loaded for takeoff began to explode. All had been at Yokota from 1959-63 with the B-57s in the WRS (56 or 53, I can't remember).

[vetvetdoug]

You will have to excuse my memory but it could have been Da Nang where the F-105 was mortared. The base was situated with a nearby hillside where the VC attacked and ran. Since he went all over SE Asia I get the histories mixed.

[dsc]

“small tasks became more important than war readiness exercises”

Back in the mid-1980s our ship was in the Persian Gulf suppressing air attacks on neutral shipping, when we got a missive from some shiny-loafered, chair-warming, paper-pushing POS in D.C. ordering us to compile a complete educational resume for every man on board.

The XO actually started running around with his hair on fire preparing to do it, until the CO got wind of it. They disappeared into the CO’s sea cabin, and nothing more was ever heard of it.

[Jet Jaguar]

Thanks.

[Jet Jaguar]

I know the history.