RIP the ‘Berlin Candy Bomber’
It is with deep sadness that his foundation has announced the passing of Colonel Gail S. Halvorsen, aka the ‘Berlin Candy Bomber’, who became famous for dropping candy to German children during the Berlin Airlift (1948–1949). He passed away peacefully on 16 Feburary 2022, at Utah Valley hospital after a brief illness.
In one of his last interviews the ‘Berlin Candy Bomber’, 100 years old, said: “As I look back at ‘Operation Little Vittles’ [to drop sweets for children in Berlin] and the years that have followed, there is one human characteristic above all others that gave it birth... the silent gratitude of the children at a barbed wire fence in Berlin, in July 1948. They didn’t beg for chocolate. Flour meant freedom. Because not one child begged, thousands received over 21 tonnes of candy from the sky, or delivered on the ground, over the next 14 months.” His foundation continues his legacy. (cj)