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Sad news....Captain Paul Olsen, WWII P-51 ace and exPOW has died of cancer at the age of 86. I had the pleasure of having Paul as a patient. His stories, when I could pry them out of him, were amazing. He told me of the the day that Paris was liberated flying several passes under the Eiffel tower. He is credited with shooting down 5 ME109s. His last flight in a Mustang was Dec 14th, 1944. He told of taking flak below the cockpit. The cabin on fire, he released his harness and was preparing to bail when his aircraft exploded. He recalled flying thru the air without an airplane, then realized he was falling to the ground on fire. He was able to pat out the fire and pulled the rip cord just in time. Landing at the feet of the gun crew who had shot him down, he was captured and spent the last 8 months of the war in a POW camp. He went in weighing 165......came out at only 80 pounds. He suffered 3rd degree burns to both hands....The Germans wanted to amputate, but Paul refused. Prior to the war Paul had earned his living as a jazz pianist. After the war he returned to Lexington, Ky, finished a degree in engineering, married and raised a family. He said he was glad he had refused the amputations. Playing the piano became his therapy. He formed a big band group known locally as 'The Men of Note'. This band still survives.
Paul cried upon seeing my P51 "Hurry Home Honey". I wanted to take him for a ride, but alas, he died only 2 weeks after I had completed my training with Lee Lauderback. I last talked to Paul the day I diagnosed his cancer. He said that if he died in the back seat of Honey, he would die a happy man. To my great sadness, he was too frail to get into the airplane...
We must NEVER forget that heros like Paul Olsen are what these airplanes are all about!
I'll miss you Paul!
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Death Of Yet Another Hero
Jun 24 2007, 08:13 PM
