Colonel Gail Halvorsen made regular drops of candy and other food supplies over blockaded West Berlin
The former US airman known as the ‘Candy Bomber’ for his supply drops during the Berlin airlift passed away on Wednesday at the age of 101, surrounded by his family, according to a statement from the director of the Aviation Education Foundation named after him.
Colonel Gail Halvorsen was trained as a fighter pilot and transport aviator in the South Atlantic during the Second World War. Despite having initially had mixed feelings about helping German citizens after losing friends during the war, he eventually felt compelled to provide aid after meeting a group of children held behind a fence at Berlin’s Tempelhof airport during the city’s blockade.
Using his own rations and parachutes designed from handkerchiefs, Halvorsen made regular candy drops into the city by wiggling the wings of his aircraft as he flew over the airport. After he began the supply drops, some of Halvorsen’s other pilots began to join in with his efforts and, as word spread, individuals began donating rations to drop to Berlin residents.
Following his death, the German Ambassador to the US, Emily Haber, tweeted her condolences, stating that Halvorsen’s actions gave “hope to millions,” adding she will “celebrate” his “101 years of life and friendship.”
Rest in peace Colonel Gail Halvorsen, Berlin’s Candy Bomber.
During the Berlin Airlift, Halvorsen dropped candy from his plane for the children. Soon, it became a massive Air Force operation, giving hope to millions.
I celebrate your 101 years of life and friendship. pic.twitter.com/dzii5Rf127
— Emily Haber (@GermanAmbUSA) February 17, 2022
“Two million people in Berlin needed food, mostly women and children. And so I felt very good about helping the former enemy, because they were grateful,” Halvorsen told CNN in 2009, discussing his work.
With Halvorsen having spent most of his childhood and retirement in Utah, the state’s governor, Spencer Cox, issued a statement mourning his loss on Thursday, calling the former airman an “international hero who demonstrated extraordinary compassion and kindness during a very dark time.”
Halvorsen was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 2014 for his actions. He continued traveling to Berlin decades after the blockade, visiting as recently as 2019 to celebrate 70 years since it was lifted.
source: RT
Împotriva articolelor redacției noastre, persoanele nemulțumite pot formula Contestație în termen de 10 zile de la publicarea articolului, la judecătoria Orășenească nr. 1 München Bayern Deutschland, in conformitate cu Legea federală Germană. Considerăm că nu se pot formula acțiuni la instanțele din România deoarece nici o persoană care activează în trustul nostru nu poate fi extrasă de sub jurisdicția federală germană. Considerăm că redacția noastră nu răspunde în fața autorităților din România ci doar celor federale sau civile germane. deoarece legea română nu are efecte de extraneitate asupra redacției chiar dacă subiectul știrilor face obiectul unor evenimente sau persoane din România și sunt scrise în limba română. Limba română nu este izvor de extraneitate a legii.
