Street memorialization honors origin of the Wolf Pack, Brig. Gen. Olds

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Katrina Heikkinen
  • 8th Fighter Wing Public Affairs
KUNSAN AIR BASE, Republic of Korea --  Standing on the edge of the Mediterranean Sea, a father explained to his 4-year-old daughter how she was going to learn how to swim in the moments that followed.

"I didn't even question it," she said. "I trusted him completely."

For Christina Olds, the very first memory of her father, Brig. Gen. Robin Olds, encompassed trust.

"After he launched me into the sea, and I came up above the surface, my father was in the water holding his arms out to me," she said. "When I got tired, he scooped me up on his shoulders and carried me out triumphantly. To me, that personifies how fighter pilots felt when they took off with him in the lead. He never let them down."

Olds made her first visit to Kunsan AB to commemorate the legacy of the Wolf Pack and unveil the new title of Kunsan's main road - Olds Avenue - during a memorialization ceremony here, April 23.

"Being here feels like a combination of a little girl holding her daddy's hand and looking up at him, and the adult who is standing here to represent him well and promote his legacy," she said. "I am incredibly proud. I am humbled and blessed to be here; to help his legacy go forward in this way."

Olds was not only rated a "triple ace," a title he earned after shooting down 17 enemy aircraft during World War II and the Vietnam War, but he was also credited with 107 combat missions and 24.5 victories.

From the moment she stepped onto Kunsan Air Base, Ms. Olds could see traces of a legacy laid down by her father, Wolf One.

"It's indescribable for me to be here in the place that I feel my father founded," she said. "The 8th Fighter Wing existed before him, but when he came to it in Thailand during [the Vietnam War], he renamed it the Wolf Pack. The fact that [the name stayed when it] moved to Kunsan in 1974 is astonishing to me, because I think his mission is continuing on. It's very emotional for me to see how recognized he still is for what he started 40 years ago."

While remnants of Brig. Gen. Olds will forever be immortalized at Kunsan as the first Wolf - from photographs, to an 'Olds Room' dedicated in his honor, to his signed aircraft tail with the number 680 - his name is often associated with being an extremely influential U.S. military leader.

"Months ago, 1st Lieutenants [David] Krigbaum and [Michael] Blaess, came up with this idea [to rename Kunsan's streets]," said Col. Ken "Wolf" Ekman, 8th FW commander. "They chose to make Kunsan better by honoring our history. The true history of the 8th FW is written by its people. Daily, each of us writes phrases and contributes feats that will make up this chapter. We go by names that are tributes to the people who came before us; names like Dragon, or Hawk, or Juvat Lead 108, or Guardian. We are always mindful of the fact that we stand on the shoulders of giants. So today, we're going to name some roads after our giants."

In honor of the 8th FW's heritage, additional road signs can now be seen across the base to include: James Avenue in memory of Gen. Daniel James Jr., Bolo Avenue in honor of the 8th Tactical Fighter Squadron's Operation Bolo, Walmsley Avenue in memory of Capt. John S. Walmsley Jr., Phantom Court in honor of the F-4 aircraft, Sabre Avenue in honor of the F-86 aircraft, and Wolf Pack Way to commemorate Kunsan's rich history.

"I would like to think and believe that this memorialization of Robin Olds at the 8th FW is going to continue on into the future and give this wing strength and its member's great pride in the mission," said Olds. ". . . The esprit de corps and the entire camaraderie that he fostered in the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing in Ubon [Thailand] continue to this day at Kunsan."