Olds was not above using medals to an advantage to right a potential wrong...During his last days in SEA, Olds was part of a MiG CAP running interference for bomb-laden F-105's inbound for targets near Hanoi...They engaged a group of MiG's, and Olds chased one MiG 21 into the path of a North Vietnamese SAM and watched as the MiG was destroyed...
Upon calling for the egress, he found that one of his men's aircraft had sustained major damage, was losing fuel rapidly and they planned to eject over Laos when the fuel was exhausted...Immediately, the pilot of a KC-135 tanker aircraft listening in his track over South Vietnam keyed his radio mike and said, "Negative!...I'm coming to get you!"...
The pilot of the huge, unarmed KC-135 then broke formation from his assigned track, proceeding north to meet the crippled F-4 Phantom, and provide inflight refueling to prevent the impending crash in the jungle below...By doing this, the KC-135 pilot knowingly crossed the DMZ into enemy airspace...
Both planes managed to rendezvous over North Vietnam seconds before the Phantom ran out of fuel... Turning both aircraft south, they realized the F-4 was losing fuel almost as fast as it was being pumped in through a gaping hole in its wing...Leaving the connection intact, the KC-135 pilot pulled the crippled F-4 through the sky to the vicinity of the nearest friendly base in Thailand...
Once within range he ordered it unhooked, and the Phantom landed safely, its only remaining engine dying from fuel starvation as it rolled to a stop on the runway...A week later Olds was told that the KC-135 pilot who prevented the possible loss of an aircrew and their aircraft was facing court martial for unauthorized entry into enemy airspace during that daring rescue...
Olds solved that problem by recommending the KC-135 pilot for the Silver Star in his after action report...After his recommendation made its way up through channels, no more mention was made of court-martial and the matter was dropped...It is to be assumed that the tanker pilot never again had to pay for a drink during his tour of duty if any fighter pilot who knew of the rescue was present at the bar...