Sky Maneuvers, Victory Rolls & Falling Fire
They grab on some of the parts that don't always jump out at most reviewers and in the process offer the reader some insights into the man.
At one time, Olds wrote that he considered his roommate Wally a coward for crying in his sleep during the war, for moaning and calling for his wife.
"Then it dawned on me that Wally wasn't a coward at all," he wrote. "In fact, he was just the opposite. He was one of the bravest men I would ever meet.... He performed as well as anyone else. Moreover, he did it despite the fear he was experiencing. What Wally did took far more. He also taught me that somewhere deep inside there is a voice talking to each of us willing to listen. Sometimes that voice is extremely prescient, as in Wally's case: He died strafing an airfield in Holland."
I've always been amazed at how we deal with fear. I've known people who apparently are totally fearless. Maybe they are and maybe they aren't. Robin was always honest. He never, during the years I knew him, claimed to be more than he was. He was quick on several occasions to deny legends that had grown up around him. I believe he was honest in his discussion of fears, both his own and those of the men around him.
The review finishes with some beautiful quotes extracted from the book:
Overall, a reader can take away many good food-for-thought quotes by a man who not only survived, but thrived, during two of the world's most notable battles such as, "It crossed my mind I should jump off the truck and head for the woods, but it was out of the question. Music was music, and the sooner faced the better;" "You can't survive as a fighter pilot if you dwell on your sorrow much past the first beer" and the advice he received from a general that the most difficult part of continuing his career in the service will be the people: "In the military, they mostly divide themselves into four major categories: There are the 'me-firsters,' the 'me-tooers,' the 'deadwood,' and the 'dedicated.' Stick with them (the dedicated), search them out, and work hard to be worthy of their company."
I consider myself fortunate to have been a part of the project.
1 comment:
Biographies are by far my favorite form of literature and, after more then 50 years of reading them, I can think of none that has meant more to me than ‘Fighter Pilot: The Memoirs of Legendary Ace Robin Olds.’ I just couldn’t put it down, and am about to order my second copy (I gave my first one to a Jet Blue captain who heard Gen. Olds lecture in one of his classes at the AF Academy).
‘Fighter Pilot’, of course, is much more than a biography. It is a treasure trove of American history, details of tactical military aviation combined with lessons of life that would be hard to duplicate anywhere else. Imagine a career officer and fighter pilot who gets himself removed from the general’s promotion list to return to aerial combat more than two decades after WWII ended. And Olds was not a ceremonial wing commander; he regained his combat proficiency flying the F-4 Phantom II and might well be the finest MiG-killer of the Vietnam War. Read the book and find out why.
Note to Raz: ‘Fighter Pilot’ cries out for a movie version. If such a project develops, it will need a good technical adviser who understands the military in general and tactical aviation in particular. It will also need a screen writer who understands the vernacular of the brave souls who put it all on the line flying into North Vietnam on Route Pack Six. Anything in the works that you can discuss?
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