Yeah, no more ads! Memorial has been sponsored successfully.
Your suggestions have been submitted and will be reviewed by the memorial manager.
Your edit did not contain any changes from the original.
Thank you! Your suggested merge has been submitted for review.
You are now the manager of this memorial. Thanks for helping with Find a Grave!
You may request to transfer up to 250,000 memorials managed by Find a Grave. more details
You are nearing the transfer limit for memorials managed by Find a Grave. more details
Photo request sent successfully.
Photo Request successfully deleted.
Failed to delete photo request. Try again later.
Memorial Transfer Successful
As manager of this memorial you can add or update the memorial using the Edit button below. Learn more about managing a memorial .
The Photo Request has been fulfilled.
Advertisement
Advertisement
MG Robert Olds VVeteran
Birth
Forest Glen, Montgomery County, Maryland, USA
Death
28 Apr 1943 (aged 46)
Tucson, Pima County, Arizona, USA
Burial
Cremated, Ashes scattered. Specifically: Following his request, his ashes were scattered by family and military friends flying aboard a formation of US AAF B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft over the Arizona mountains near Davis-Monthan Field.
Add to Map
US Army Air Forces Major General. A pioneer aviator, he was one of the early theorists of strategic air power, and proponent of an independent US Air Force branch of military service. Born Robert Oldys, the oldest of four children, his father was an ornithologist employed by the Division of Biological Survey of the US Department of Agriculture. After graduating from Central High School in Washington DC, he enlisted in the Aviation Section, Signal Enlisted Reserve Corps in January 1917, became a sergeant, and entered pilot training at the Curtis Flying School, Newport News, Virginia. In May 1917 he received his Reserve Military Aviator rating, just after the US entered World War I. The following month he was commissioned as a 1st lieutenant in the Signal Officers Reserve Corps. His first assignment was as commander of the newly organized and untrained 17th Aero Squadron at Kelly Field (now Kelly Air Reserve Base, a part of Joint Base San Antonio), Texas. In August 1917 the squadron moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada to begin unit training with the British Royal Flying Corps. After three weeks of recruit instruction at Leaside Aerodrome in Leaside, Ontario, he was sent to Camp Borden, Ontario and remained squadron commander until October, when he became a flying instructor at Scott Field (now Scott Air Force Base), Illinois. Two months later he was transferred as an instructor to Ellington Field (now Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base, a part of the Texas Air National Guard), Texas, where he advanced through various supervisory positions. In September 1918 he was promoted to the rank of captain and sent to France, where he was assigned to pursuit training at the 3rd Aviation Instruction Center at Issoudun. After completing the course, he was assigned to the 7th Aviation Instruction Center at Clermont-Ferrand, France where he became the training officer for bombardment and later Officer-In-Charge. In January 1919, following the end of World War I, he was assigned to the staff of Colonel Frank P. Lahm, chief of Air Service, 2nd Army at Toul, France as flight examiner (and Lahm's pilot), until he returned to Washington DC in August of that year. Two months later he transferred to Fort Ruger at Honolulu, Hawaii as Air Service Operations Officer, with concurrent command of the 3rd Balloon Company. A reserve officer, he decided to remain in the military but needed a regular commission to avoid being demobilized by the National Defense Act of 1920, and after passing the requisite qualifying examinations, he received commissions as 1st lieutenant and captain of Air Service of the Regular Army in July 1920. In July 1921 he was assigned operations officer of the 5th Observation Group at Luke Field (now part of Naval Base Pearl Harbor), Hawaii and became its commander from April to May 1922, and again (now the 5th Composite Group) from November 1922 to April 1923. During his Hawaiian tour he was credited with the first night flight over Oahu on June 30, 1920, the first flight to the island of Molokai, Hawaii on August 18, 1920, and the first flight over the Haleakalā crater on August 25, 1920. In 1923 he transferred to the Office of the Chief of Air Service in Washington DC, working in the War Plans Division, often as an aide to the Assistant Chief of the Air Service, General Billy Mitchell. In October 1925 he assisted Mitchell during the Morrow Board hearings, and the following month at Mitchell's court martial. With his military career conceivably in jeopardy, his ensuing testimony described the dangerous conditions under which the Air Service was forced to operate, and a lack of understanding of aviation requirements on the part of non-flying senior staff and commanders. Although mocked and questioned with sarcastic hostility during cross-examination by the nine ground forces generals comprising the court martial panel, he "held his own". In September 1927 he was assigned to Langley Field (now Langley Air Force Base, a part of Joint Base Langley-Eustis), where he would spend eleven of the next thirteen years and became a student at the Air Corps Tactical School (ACTS). After completing the course the following July, he was invited to become one of its instructors and served in the Bombardment Section of the ACTS faculty, where he and several others were responsible for the ascendancy of bombardment (which existed mainly in theory and undeveloped technology) over pursuit as the primary emphasis of both the ACTS curriculum and the development of US Army Air Corps doctrine. When ACTS relocated to Maxwell Field, Alabama he remained at Langley as Operations Officer to the 2d Bombardment Group from 1931 to 1933. He was then selected to attend the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Following his graduation in June 1935, he was promoted to the rank of major and returned to Langley, where the command staff of the General Headquarters Air Force was stationed, and joined it as the Chief of Inspection Section. In March 1937 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel and selected to command the 2nd Bomber Group, which was about to receive the first twelve operational B-17s Flying Fortress aircraft, and his command tour there developed standard operating procedures and tactics for the B-17, and was marked by numerous highly publicized exercises and goodwill missions. In August 1937 the group located and attacked the target ship USS Utah off California, followed in May 1938 by interception of the Italian liner Rex 620 miles at sea, both under adverse weather conditions. In January 1938, he made two record-breaking non-stop transcontinental flights between Langley and March Field, California, completing the 2,317 miles in just over 11 hours on the return flight. The following month he personally led a goodwill flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina (for which he was awarded the Mackay Trophy and the Distinguished Flying Cross) and in November 1939 to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In January 1940 he was assigned to the Plans Division of the Office of Chief of the US Army Air Corps in Washington DC and was promoted to rank of colonel in October of that year. In May 1941 he was assigned by Major General Henry "Hap" Arnold to organize the newly established Air Corps Ferrying Command to expedite the delivery of bomber aircraft to the British Royal Air Force, following passage of the Lend Lease Act in March 1941. When the US entered World War II in December 1941, he immediately implemented a previously-prepared plan to use civilian pilots to replace military aviators sent back to their combat commands and he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in January 1942. The wartime stress of his command led to his first heart attack in March 1942. The following month he returned to duty and became commander of the 3rd Bomber Command and shortly thereafter he became commanding general of the 2nd Air Force with a promotion to the rank of major general in May. He then moved his headquarters from Spokane, Washington, to a forward location at Davis-Monthan Field (now Davis-Monthan Air Force Base), Arizona. In early 1943 he was diagnosed with pericardial disease and Libman-Sacks endocarditis that required extensive hospitalization beginning in February of that year and he was placed in temporary retirement and he died of pneumonia at the age of 46, having served in the military for 26 continuous years. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered from a B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft over the mountains near Davis-Monthan Field. His military and foreign awards and decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross with 1 oak leaf cluster, the World War I Victory Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, and the Brazilian National Order of the Southern Cross. He was a rated command pilot and combat observer. The Liberty ship SS Daniel E. Garrett was renamed Major General Robert Olds in his honor. The Major General Robert Olds Award, sponsored by the US Air Force's Air Mobility Command, is presented annually during graduation week at the US Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colorado to the most outstanding graduating cadet majoring in International Affairs. He was the father of Brigadier General Robin Olds, an acclaimed and highly decorated "triple ace" World War II and Vietnam War combat fighter pilot.
US Army Air Forces Major General. A pioneer aviator, he was one of the early theorists of strategic air power, and proponent of an independent US Air Force branch of military service. Born Robert Oldys, the oldest of four children, his father was an ornithologist employed by the Division of Biological Survey of the US Department of Agriculture. After graduating from Central High School in Washington DC, he enlisted in the Aviation Section, Signal Enlisted Reserve Corps in January 1917, became a sergeant, and entered pilot training at the Curtis Flying School, Newport News, Virginia. In May 1917 he received his Reserve Military Aviator rating, just after the US entered World War I. The following month he was commissioned as a 1st lieutenant in the Signal Officers Reserve Corps. His first assignment was as commander of the newly organized and untrained 17th Aero Squadron at Kelly Field (now Kelly Air Reserve Base, a part of Joint Base San Antonio), Texas. In August 1917 the squadron moved to Toronto, Ontario, Canada to begin unit training with the British Royal Flying Corps. After three weeks of recruit instruction at Leaside Aerodrome in Leaside, Ontario, he was sent to Camp Borden, Ontario and remained squadron commander until October, when he became a flying instructor at Scott Field (now Scott Air Force Base), Illinois. Two months later he was transferred as an instructor to Ellington Field (now Ellington Field Joint Reserve Base, a part of the Texas Air National Guard), Texas, where he advanced through various supervisory positions. In September 1918 he was promoted to the rank of captain and sent to France, where he was assigned to pursuit training at the 3rd Aviation Instruction Center at Issoudun. After completing the course, he was assigned to the 7th Aviation Instruction Center at Clermont-Ferrand, France where he became the training officer for bombardment and later Officer-In-Charge. In January 1919, following the end of World War I, he was assigned to the staff of Colonel Frank P. Lahm, chief of Air Service, 2nd Army at Toul, France as flight examiner (and Lahm's pilot), until he returned to Washington DC in August of that year. Two months later he transferred to Fort Ruger at Honolulu, Hawaii as Air Service Operations Officer, with concurrent command of the 3rd Balloon Company. A reserve officer, he decided to remain in the military but needed a regular commission to avoid being demobilized by the National Defense Act of 1920, and after passing the requisite qualifying examinations, he received commissions as 1st lieutenant and captain of Air Service of the Regular Army in July 1920. In July 1921 he was assigned operations officer of the 5th Observation Group at Luke Field (now part of Naval Base Pearl Harbor), Hawaii and became its commander from April to May 1922, and again (now the 5th Composite Group) from November 1922 to April 1923. During his Hawaiian tour he was credited with the first night flight over Oahu on June 30, 1920, the first flight to the island of Molokai, Hawaii on August 18, 1920, and the first flight over the Haleakalā crater on August 25, 1920. In 1923 he transferred to the Office of the Chief of Air Service in Washington DC, working in the War Plans Division, often as an aide to the Assistant Chief of the Air Service, General Billy Mitchell. In October 1925 he assisted Mitchell during the Morrow Board hearings, and the following month at Mitchell's court martial. With his military career conceivably in jeopardy, his ensuing testimony described the dangerous conditions under which the Air Service was forced to operate, and a lack of understanding of aviation requirements on the part of non-flying senior staff and commanders. Although mocked and questioned with sarcastic hostility during cross-examination by the nine ground forces generals comprising the court martial panel, he "held his own". In September 1927 he was assigned to Langley Field (now Langley Air Force Base, a part of Joint Base Langley-Eustis), where he would spend eleven of the next thirteen years and became a student at the Air Corps Tactical School (ACTS). After completing the course the following July, he was invited to become one of its instructors and served in the Bombardment Section of the ACTS faculty, where he and several others were responsible for the ascendancy of bombardment (which existed mainly in theory and undeveloped technology) over pursuit as the primary emphasis of both the ACTS curriculum and the development of US Army Air Corps doctrine. When ACTS relocated to Maxwell Field, Alabama he remained at Langley as Operations Officer to the 2d Bombardment Group from 1931 to 1933. He was then selected to attend the Command and General Staff School at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Following his graduation in June 1935, he was promoted to the rank of major and returned to Langley, where the command staff of the General Headquarters Air Force was stationed, and joined it as the Chief of Inspection Section. In March 1937 he was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel and selected to command the 2nd Bomber Group, which was about to receive the first twelve operational B-17s Flying Fortress aircraft, and his command tour there developed standard operating procedures and tactics for the B-17, and was marked by numerous highly publicized exercises and goodwill missions. In August 1937 the group located and attacked the target ship USS Utah off California, followed in May 1938 by interception of the Italian liner Rex 620 miles at sea, both under adverse weather conditions. In January 1938, he made two record-breaking non-stop transcontinental flights between Langley and March Field, California, completing the 2,317 miles in just over 11 hours on the return flight. The following month he personally led a goodwill flight to Buenos Aires, Argentina (for which he was awarded the Mackay Trophy and the Distinguished Flying Cross) and in November 1939 to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In January 1940 he was assigned to the Plans Division of the Office of Chief of the US Army Air Corps in Washington DC and was promoted to rank of colonel in October of that year. In May 1941 he was assigned by Major General Henry "Hap" Arnold to organize the newly established Air Corps Ferrying Command to expedite the delivery of bomber aircraft to the British Royal Air Force, following passage of the Lend Lease Act in March 1941. When the US entered World War II in December 1941, he immediately implemented a previously-prepared plan to use civilian pilots to replace military aviators sent back to their combat commands and he was promoted to the rank of brigadier general in January 1942. The wartime stress of his command led to his first heart attack in March 1942. The following month he returned to duty and became commander of the 3rd Bomber Command and shortly thereafter he became commanding general of the 2nd Air Force with a promotion to the rank of major general in May. He then moved his headquarters from Spokane, Washington, to a forward location at Davis-Monthan Field (now Davis-Monthan Air Force Base), Arizona. In early 1943 he was diagnosed with pericardial disease and Libman-Sacks endocarditis that required extensive hospitalization beginning in February of that year and he was placed in temporary retirement and he died of pneumonia at the age of 46, having served in the military for 26 continuous years. He was cremated and his ashes were scattered from a B-17 Flying Fortress aircraft over the mountains near Davis-Monthan Field. His military and foreign awards and decorations include the Distinguished Flying Cross with 1 oak leaf cluster, the World War I Victory Medal, the American Defense Service Medal, the American Campaign Medal, and the Brazilian National Order of the Southern Cross. He was a rated command pilot and combat observer. The Liberty ship SS Daniel E. Garrett was renamed Major General Robert Olds in his honor. The Major General Robert Olds Award, sponsored by the US Air Force's Air Mobility Command, is presented annually during graduation week at the US Air Force Academy at Colorado Springs, Colorado to the most outstanding graduating cadet majoring in International Affairs. He was the father of Brigadier General Robin Olds, an acclaimed and highly decorated "triple ace" World War II and Vietnam War combat fighter pilot.
Thank you for fulfilling this photo request. An email has been sent to the person who requested the photo informing them that you have fulfilled their request
There is an open photo request for this memorial
Are you adding a grave photo that will fulfill this request?
Oops, some error occurred while uploading your photo(s).
Oops, something didn't work. Close this window, and upload the photo(s) again.
Make sure that the file is a photo. Photos larger than 8Mb will be reduced.
All photos uploaded successfully, click on the <b>Done button</b> to see the photos in the gallery.
General photo guidelines:
Photos larger than 8.0 MB will be optimized and reduced.
Each contributor can upload a maximum of 5 photos for a memorial.
A memorial can have a maximum of 20 photos from all contributors.
The sponsor of a memorial may add an additional 10 photos (for a total of 30 on the memorial).
Include gps location with grave photos where possible.
No animated GIFs, photos with additional graphics (borders, embellishments.)
There is no plot information for this memorial. Your photo request is more likely to be fulfilled if you contact the cemetery to get the plot information and include it with your request.
You are only allowed to leave one flower per day for any given memorial.
Memorial Photos
This is a carousel with slides. Use Next and Previous buttons to navigate, or jump to a slide with the slide dots. Use Escape keyboard button or the Close button to close the carousel.
Quickly see who the memorial is for and when they lived and died and where they are buried.
Show Map
If the memorial includes GPS coordinates, simply click 'Show Map' to view the gravesite location within the cemetery. If no GPS coordinates are available, you can contribute by adding them if you know the precise location.
Photos
For memorials with more than one photo, additional photos will appear here or on the photos tab.
Photos Tab
All photos appear on this tab and here you can update the sort order of photos on memorials you manage. To view a photo in more detail or edit captions for photos you added, click the photo to open the photo viewer.
Flowers
Flowers added to the memorial appear on the bottom of the memorial or here on the Flowers tab. To add a flower, click the Leave a Flower button.
Family Members
Family members linked to this person will appear here.
Related searches
Use the links under See more… to quickly search for other people with the same last name in the same cemetery, city, county, etc.
Sponsor This Memorial
Remove advertising from a memorial by sponsoring it for just $5. Previously sponsored memorials or famous memorials will not have this option.
Share
Share this memorial using social media sites or email.
Save to
Save to an Ancestry Tree, a virtual cemetery, your clipboard for pasting or Print.
Edit or Suggest Edit
Edit a memorial you manage or suggest changes to the memorial manager.
Have Feedback
Thanks for using Find a Grave, if you have any feedback we would love to hear from you.
You may not upload any more photos to this memorial
"Unsupported file type"
Uploading...
Waiting...
Success
Failed
This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has photos
This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded photos to this memorial
This photo was not uploaded because this memorial already has photos
This photo was not uploaded because you have already uploaded photos to this memorial
Invalid File Type
Uploading 1 Photo
Uploading 2 Photos
1 Photo Uploaded
2 Photos Uploaded
Added by
GREAT NEWS! There is 1 volunteer for this cemetery.
Sorry! There are no volunteers for this cemetery. Continuing with this request will add an alert to the cemetery page and any new volunteers will have the opportunity to fulfill your request.
Enter numeric value
Enter memorial Id
Year should not be greater than current year
Invalid memorial
Duplicate entry for memorial
You have chosen this person to be their own family member.
Reported!
This relationship is not possible based on lifespan dates.
0% Complete
Saved
Sign in or Register
Sign in to Find a Grave
Sign-in to link to existing account
There is a problem with your email/password.
There is a problem with your email/password.
There is a problem with your email/password.
We encountered an unknown problem. Please wait a few minutes and try again. If the problem persists contact Find a Grave.
We’ve updated the security on the site. Please reset your password.
Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. Please contact Find a Grave at [email protected] if you need help resetting your password.
This account has been disabled. If you have questions, please contact [email protected]
This account has been disabled. If you have questions, please contact [email protected]
Email not found
Please complete the captcha to let us know you are a real person.
Sign in to your existing Find a Grave account. You’ll only have to do this once—after your accounts are connected, you can sign in using your Ancestry sign in or your Find a Grave sign in.
We found an existing Find a Grave account associated with your email address. Sign in below with your Find a Grave credentials to link your Ancestry account. After your accounts are connected you can sign in using either account.
Please enter your email to sign in.
Please enter your password to sign in.
Please enter your email and password to sign in.
There is a problem with your email/password.
A system error has occurred. Please try again later.
A password reset email has been sent to EmailID. If you don't see an email, please check your spam folder.
We encountered an unknown problem. Please wait a few minutes and try again. If the problem persists contact Find a Grave.
Password Reset
Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code.
Registration Options
Welcome to Find a Grave
Create your free account by choosing an option below.
or
Ancestry account link
To create your account, Ancestry will share your name and email address with Find a Grave. To continue choose an option below.
or
If you already have a Find a Grave account, please sign in to link to Ancestry®.
New Member Registration
Email is mandatory
Email and Password are mandatory
This account already exists, but the email address still needs to be confirmed. Resend Activation Email
Your password is not strong enough
Invalid Email
You must agree to Terms and Conditions
Account already exists
Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox
Internal Server error occurred
If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map
You must select an email preference
We have sent you an activation email
Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters.
We just emailed an activation code to
Please check your email and click on the link to activate your account.
cemeteries found in will be saved to your photo volunteer list.
cemeteries found within miles of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list.
cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list.
Within 5 miles of your location.
Within 5 kilometers of your location.
0 cemeteries found in .
0 cemeteries found.
Add a cemetery to fulfill photo requests
You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below.
Search above to list available cemeteries.
Getting location…
Loading...
Loading...
No cemeteries found
Find a Grave Video Tutorials
Default Language
Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [email protected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. Thanks for your help!
Preferred Language
We have set your language to based on information from your browser.