He was the third highest scoring ace of the American Volunteer Group (the "Flying Tigers")[1] and later the judge in the Charles Manson murder trial.

[3] Older became a pilot in the Marine Corps Reserve, but resigned to join the American Volunteer Group, better known as the Flying Tigers, to fight the Japanese prior to the United States entry into World War II.

[2][5][6] After a distinguished legal career, he was appointed to the bench of the Los Angeles Superior Court by Governor Ronald Reagan in 1967.

Prosecutor Vincent Bugliosi praised Older for his firm, but fair, handling of the difficult case.

[citation needed] On June 17, 2006, he died at the age of 88 of complications from a fall in his home in West Los Angeles.