Last night at about 10:00 PM colo time, BGen Robin Olds passed away.

One of the last of the truely great WWII fighter pilots, and Vietnam war commander.

do you have a link to the story?

I think this one will do:

http://www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123057370

I just found that too. We need more men like him in the military.

OK.....i'll send one. My boy is going into the Navy and applying to the Academy for an engineering program!

I havent seen the news source, I got this E-mail from his nephew

................ Well Done, Be Thou at Peace,


Robin passed last night, 14 June, approx 2215
hrs. He died peaceably in his sleep. He had been pretty sedated the last
few
days.


Funeral arrangements aren't firm yet but looks like it will be at the
AFACAD
possible mid-July.

We are going to lose more WWII vets in the next 2-3 years than at any other time. Most are in their early to mid 80s. That was the information given to me from the overseer of Williamette National Cemetery the day we buried my mom's ashes.

If an 18 year old joined up in 45, he would be 80 now.

Well Uncle Sam invited my dad to join the war effort, otherwise he would have been busy going to college after leaving high school.

My dad enlsited right after Pearl Harbor, spent almost the entire war on a carrier in the Pacific.

I met Gen Olds a few times over the years, he was a true Gentleman, His Vice Commander Gen James was also a good officer. They both took care of their enlisted men.

My dad also enlisted. He flew P-51's in WWII.

I've got his old scrap books and his log book. What treasures!

I did a Google search for his Fighter Group/Squadron (361st FG/375th Sq.) and was surprised to find a picture of my dad on one of the sites!

I contacted the site master and told him I had the pictures and would be happy to scan them and send them to him. He was delighted and anxious to get them.

If you'd like to see some of them, go to this web site; http://www.361fg.com/newphoto.htm and click on either of the pictures at the bottom of the page titled "Charlie Woods"

Enjoy!

Edit add: If you like good pictures of excellent aircraft, check out this calendar.

http://www.ghosts.com/

My daughter gets me one every year for Christmas.

While we're speaking of pilots my grandfather flew in WWI. He did border patrol in the Southwest in an old Spade (sp?).

My dad has the propeller off that biplane in his basement. It will be in my basement hopefully soon. I currently have the old wind up clock from that plane.

Skybill - wow, that's neat. One of my favorite places is the air hangar museum in Tillamook - those old war birds make this history buff salivate!

My grandfather flew reconnaissance in Europe in Piper Cubs (he was also a mechanic on them) during WWII and every year when the old war birds would make their trek to Felts Field in Spokane for the annual air show, he'd drag me along with him. Hearing his stories absolutely fascinated me ... I really do look at these folks as our Greatest Generation. It's sad to me that the efforts given forth by this generation are being lost on today's youth.

"He did border patrol in the Southwest in an old Spade (sp?)."

Chris, that's SPAD (Société Pour L'Aviation et ses Dérivés).