December 8, 1941
December 8, 1941
At 4:00 o’clock in the morning, on December 8, 1941, the ringing of the telephone woke me up, and as I went to answer it,
David L. Olbert
(January 14, 1919 — February 24, 1991), Second Lieutenant, one of five flight leaders in the 17th Squadron, 24th Pursuit Group, Nichols Field. Escaped to Australia after the fall of the Philippines; returned to the United States, serving in the 12th Air Force in the Mediterranean.
December 9, 1941
December 9, 1941
Dorothy got home early the next morning. After an early breakfast she drove me out to Nichols so that she would have the car instead
December 10, 1941
December 10, 1941
When I got to the field, Sgt. King, the line chief, told me that all his crew had left the field. He could not get
December 12, 1941
December 12, 1941
The next morning Dorothy drove me to the Army and Navy Club where I was to meet the truck. Then came our first parting. Dorothy
December 16, 1941
December 16, 1941
Lts. Brownwell, Crosby, Stone, and myself, all from the 17th Pursuit Squadron, were told to go back to Nichols, take over the 17th and reorganize
December 17, 1941
December 17, 1941
The next morning, Brownwell, Stone, Crosby, and I went out to Fort McKinley where the Air Force Headquarters was then located and got an idea
December 18, 1941
December 18, 1941
An officer was supposed to be on duty at Nichols as airdrome officer and spend the night there. I pulled the first night. The next