The Candy Bomber Passes

Yesterday Gail Halvorsen died at the age of 101.  I wrote about Halvorsen (though I misspelled his first name) in a post on the Berlin Airlift of 1948-9:

One specific event had a profound impact on both Germans and Americans during the blockade. On July 18, 1948, while on approach to Templehof Airport in Berline, C-54 pilot Gil Halvorsen, wiggled his wings and dropped chocolate bars attached to a handkerchief parachute to children waiting below.  The prior day while at Templehof, Halvorsen while walking around encountered the children who were watching the planes land and asked him questions about the aircraft.  He gave them gum and promised he'd drop them candy the next day after wiggling his wing.  Halvorsen continued his daily candy runs and when news reached the airlift commander he organized Operation Little Vittles; soon American children sent candy for the drops and eventually U.S. candy manufacturers made donations; 23 tons of candy were dropped in toto, and Halvorsen became known as The Candy Bomber, giving title to Cherny's book.  The candy drops became a symbol of America's willingness to help and of the perseverance of Berliners.

Halvorsen went on to do a lot more in his life.

After the Berlin Airlift, Halvorsen, a Utah native, stayed in the Air Force and went on to obtain a master's degree in Aeronautical Engineering.  Gail was assigned to the Air Force Space Systems Division where he was involved with the development of the Titan III launch vehicle and later worked on plans for advanced manned reusable spacecraft and the Manned Orbital Laboratory Project.  In 1970 he found himself back at Tempelhof Airport in Berlin as commander of the 7350th Air Base Group.  Retiring from the military in 1974, he served for a decade as Assistant Dean of Student Life at Brigham Young University.  During the 1980s and 1990s Halvorsen and his wife served as Mormon missionaries in England and Russia.

For his continued humanitarian efforts Gail Halvorsen received much recognition in the U.S. and Germany.  In 2014 he received the Congressional Gold Medal and in 1974 he was decorated with Germany's highest honor, the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.

Halvorsen remained active and healthy until recently and spent his winters here in the Phoenix area.