Colonel Gail Seymour "Hal" Halvorsen (born October 10, 1920) is a retired officer and commando pilot in the United States Air Force. He is best known as the "Berlin Candy Bomber" or "Uncle Wiggly Wings" and gained fame for dropping candy to German children during the Berlin air freight from 1948 to 1949.
Halvorsen grew up in rural Utah but always had a desire to fly. He obtained his personal pilot license in 1941 and later joined Civil Air Patrol. He joined the United States Air Force Air Force in 1942 and was assigned to Germany on July 10, 1948 to become a pilot for the Berlin Airlift. Halvorsen piloted the C-47 and C-54 during Berlin air transport ("Operation Vittles"). During that time he founded "Operation Little Vittles", an attempt to improve morale in Berlin by dropping candy through miniature parachutes to city dwellers. Halvorsen started "Little Vittles" without authorization from his superiors but the following year became a national hero with support from across the United States. Operation Halvorsen dropped more than 23 tons of candy to Berliners. He is known as "Berlin Candy Bomber", "Uncle Wiggly Wings", and "The Chocolate Flier".
Halvorsen has received many awards for his role in "Operation Little Vittles", including the Congressional Gold Medal. However, "Little Vittles" is not the end of Halvorsen's military career and humanity. For the next 25 years Halvorsen advocated and decreased candy in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, Japan, Guam, and Iraq. Halverson's professional career includes a variety of important positions. He helped develop a reusable aircraft in the Space and Technology Directorate and served as Templehof Airport commander. He retired in August 1974 after logging more than 8,000 flight hours.
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Gail Seymour Halvorsen was born in Salt Lake City on October 10, 1920 to Basil K. and Luella Spencer Halvorsen. He grew up on the first small farm in Rigby, Idaho and later in Garland, Utah. He graduated from Bear River High School in 1939 and then briefly studied at Utah State University. He went on to obtain his private pilot license under a non-College Civil Pilot Training Program in September 1941, and at the same time joined Civil Air Patrol as a pilot. Halvorsen joined the United States Air Force Corps in May 1942 and was 22 years old when he arrived in Miami to train with 25 Royal Air Force pilots at UK No. 4 Training School. 3, the branch of the Spartan Flight School. After a combat pilot training with the RAF, he returned to the Army Air Corps and was assigned flight assignment in a foreign transport operation at the South Atlantic Theater. He was ordered to Germany on July 10, 1948 to become a pilot for "Operation Vittles" now known as the Berlin Airlift.
Maps Gail Halvorsen
Operation "Little Vittles"
The role of Lieutenant Halvorsen at the Berlin Airlift was to fly one of the many C-54 cargo planes used to transport supplies to the starving city. During his flight he first flew to Berlin, then went deeper into Soviet-held areas. Halvorsen has an interest in photography and on his days often go sightseeing in Berlin and record movies on his personal handheld camera. One day in July, he was taking a plane to take off and landed at Tempelhof, the main landing site for air freight. While there, he saw about thirty children marching behind one of the barbed wire fences. He went to them and noticed that the children had nothing. Halvorsen recalled: "I met about thirty children on a barbed wire fence protecting the large Tempelhof area, they were excited and told me that 'when the weather is so bad that you can not land, do not worry about us.We can survive with a bit of food , but if we lose our freedom, we may never get it back. "" Touched, Halvorsen reached into his pocket and took out two chewing gum to give to the children.The children broke it into small pieces and distributed it; who is not sniffing the wrappers, watching the children, so many none at all, Halvorsen regrets not having more to give them.Halvorsen notes that he wants to do more for the children, and tells them that the next day he will have enough chewing gum for them all, and he will drop it off the plane Halvorsen, a child asked, "How did we know it was your plane?" Halvorsen replied that he would wiggle his wings, something he had done for his parents when he first obtained his pilot license in 1941.
That night, Halverson, his copilot, and his engineers gathered their candy rations for the next day's fall. The candy accumulation was heavy, so to make sure the kids were not hurt by the falling candy, Halvorsen made three parachutes from the handkerchief and tied it to the ration. In the morning when Halverson and his crew made a regular drops supply, they also dropped three boxes of candy attached to a handkerchief. They do this drop once a week for three weeks. Every week, groups of children waiting at the Tempelhof airport fence grow significantly.
When the word reached the airlift commander, Lieutenant General William H. Tunner, he ordered his extension to Operation "Little Vittles," a drama on behalf of Airlift Operation Vittles. The Little Vittles operation began officially on September 22, 1948. Support for this effort was to provide Berlin children with chocolates and chewing gums growing rapidly, first among Halvorsen's friends, then throughout the squadron. When news of Operation Little Vittles reached the United States, children and candle makers from across the US began contributing candy. In November 1948, Halvorsen could no longer keep up with the number of sweets and handkerchiefs sent from across America. Mary C. Connors students from Chicopee, Massachusetts offer to take responsibility for the current national project and work with the National Confectioner's Association to prepare candies and tie handkerchiefs. With widespread support, the Little Vittles pilot, which Halvorsen is now one of many, knocks candy every day. Children throughout Berlin have sweets, and more and more artwork is being sent back with letters attached to them. The American candy bombers are known as Rosinenbomber (Bomber Raisin), while Halvorsen himself is known by many nicknames for Berlin children, including his original moniker "Uncle Wiggly Wings," as well as "The Uncle Chocolate", "The Gum Drop Kid" and " The Chocolate Flier. "
The operation of "Little Vittles" took effect from September 22, 1948 to May 13, 1949. Although Lieutenant Halvorsen returned home in January 1949, he carried on the operation to one of his friends, Captain Lawrence Caskey. Upon returning home, Halvorsen met some of the people who were key in making Operation "Little Vittles" a success. Halvorsen personally thanked his greatest supporter, Dorothy Groeger, a woman who still lives in the house who nevertheless enlisted the help of all his friends and acquaintances to sew handkerchiefs and donate funds. He also met with schoolchildren and the "Little Vittles" committee of Chicopee, Massachusetts who was responsible for setting up more than 18 tons of candies and gum from across the country and sending them to Germany. In total, it is estimated that Operation "Little Vittles" is responsible for dropping more than 23 tons of candy from more than 250,000 parachutes.
Professional career
After returning home in January 1949, Halvorsen considered the idea of ​​leaving the air force. However, he changed his mind when he was offered a permanent commission with full pay and promise that the air force would send him to school. In 1951 and 1952 he obtained a bachelor's and master's degree in Aeronautical Engineering from the University of Florida as an assignment from the Air Force Institute of Technology. He then became a project engineer for the research and development of a cargo plane with the Wright Air Development Center at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and Hill Air Force Base from 1952 to 1957. Halvorsen was transferred in 1957 to the Air Command and Staff School at Maxwell AFB, Alabama. He was there until 1958, when he was assigned to the Air Force Space System Division of the Air Force Systems Command in Inglewood, California. While in this task, Halvorsen researched and developed various space projects. The most notable of these is the launch of the Titan III vehicle, which is chaired by its source selection. Halvorsen will act as part of the Air Force System Command for the next four years.
From 1962 to 1965, Halvorsen served in Wiesbaden, West Germany, with the Foreign Technology division of AF System Command. He was subsequently assigned to the Deputy Chief of Staff for Research and Development, USAF HQ, Pentagon, and at the Space and Technology Directorate. He developed plans for sophisticated reusable spacecraft, space policies and procedures, and on the Orbital Manned Laboratory Project. He was then given command of the 659th Instrumentation Squadron of the AF Satellite Control Command System, Vandenberg AFB, California, which was involved both in satellite launch and orbital operations.
Halvorsen then became Commander of the 7350 Airbase Group at Templehof Central Airport, Berlin, Germany, in February 1970. It was the same airstrip he carried every day during the Berlin Airlift. During this period, he also served as the US Representative of the US Air Force in Berlin, as well as completing a master's degree in Counseling and Counseling from Wayne State University through a basic education program. His last assignment was as Inspector General, Ogden Air Materiel Center, Hill AFB, Utah. Halvorsen retired on August 31, 1974, after collecting more than 8,000 flight hours and 31 years of military service.
Personal life
Colonel Halvorsen's work with Operation "Little Vittles" not only won international acclaim, but "pulled him two proposals" according to a US newspaper. She turns them both, hoping the girl she left in Garland, Utah, will still have feelings for her. Halvorsen met Alta Jolley in 1942 at Utah State Agricultural College. After Halvorsen departed for Germany, the couple was brought in by mail. Gail Halvorsen and Alta Jolley were married in Las Vegas, Nevada on April 16, 1949. Halvorsens had five children, all of whom grew up in different parts of the United States and Germany when Halvorsen fulfilled his military duties. After Colonel Halvorsen's retirement in 1974, the couple moved to Provo, Utah. From 1976 to 1986, Halvorsen served as Assistant Dean of Student Life at Brigham Young University. Alta and Halvorsen are both active in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church). They served as missionaries for the LDS Church from 1986 to 1987 in London, England and again from 1995 to 1997 at St. Petersburg, Russia. Alta died on January 25, 1999, at that time the couple had 24 grandchildren. Five years later, Halvorsen remarried, this time to his high school lover, Lorraine Pace. The couple currently live in Spanish Fork, Utah in their fields, and spend the winter in Arizona.
Legacy
Halvorsen's life, and especially his work with Operation "Little Vittles", has had a huge impact on many, many lives both in the United States and around the world. After his official retirement in 1974, Halvorsen continued to serve local, national, and international communities in various ways.
Awards
In 1949, Halvorsen received the Cheney Award, given by the Air Force to recognize humanitarian action, from General Hoyt S. Vandenberg to start Operation 'Little Vittles'. Other important awards include Legion of Merit, Ira Baker "Fellow" Award by USAF Chief of Staff John Dale Ryan; The US American Air Force's "Americanism" award (some previous recipients were Bob Hope and President George Bush); Award for Freedom from the City of Provo, Utah; Humanitarian Awards Distinguished from the German Institute of Relations; Eric Warburg Pries, 1998; and the Patriot Award from Brigham Young University ROTC. In 2014, Halvorsen became the recipient of the Congressional Gold Medal, the highest award that Congress can give to a civilian. He was inducted into the Airlift/Tanker Hall of Fame and the Utah Aviation Hall of Fame in May 2001. The United States Air Force has helped connect Colonel Halvorsen's inheritance legacy by naming the next generation, a 25,000-pound capacity plane to honor him.. The Air Force has also created Colonel Gail Halvorsen Award for outstanding air transport support in the field of logistic readiness careers. In 2008, Halvorsen was honored as the Grand Marshal of the German-American Steuben Parade in New York City, where he was celebrated by tens of thousands of spectators on Fifth Avenue.
Halvorsen's actions during the Berlin Airlift have had a major impact on German-American relations in the coming years. For his efforts, he also received extraordinary honors by the Germans. In 1974 he was decorated with GroÃÆ'Ÿes Bundesverdienstkreuz (Great Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany), Germany's highest award. In 2015 he was awarded the medal of General Lucius D. Clay by the German-American Club Federation. Medals are the highest award given to someone who has made a significant contribution to the development of German-American relations. In addition, he has had many German schools named in his honor, including a secondary school in Berlin and Gail S. Halvorsen Elementary School at Rhein-Main Air Base, Frankfurt, Germany. He has appeared many times on German television for years, often paired with several children (now adults) who received his candy parachute. On February 8, 2002 for the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, he brought the German national plaque to the Rice-Eccles Stadium. He also appeared extensively on American television and movies. In 1992, Brigham Young University Student Michael Van Wagenen produced a 7-minute work entitled "The Candy Bomber", which was then made into a long movie. In 2012, the Halvorsen story became the theme of the Mormon Tabernacle Choir Christmas concert, titled Christmas from Heaven and narrated by Tom Brokaw.
Humanitarian work
During Halvorsen's career and for several years after his retirement, he volunteered to represent the US Air Force and the United States. He helped re-create one of his famous candy drops to mark the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift. The event was held at Tempelhof Central Airport with over 40,000 people attending. Another re-demonstration took place in September 1989 to commemorate 40 years of air transportation. Halvorsen again participated, this time with the television team from Good Morning America, and gave candy to the Berlin children, including some grandchildren from the people he initially gave chocolate. Additional demonstrations were made in 1993 and 1994. In 1998, he became part of the regular C-54 "Spirit of Freedom" flight crew from the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation and took part in a 71-day European tour. The tour included two crossings of the Atlantic Ocean on a plane that was then 53 years old. During the tour, he and several other Airlift Veterans (as well as crew members) took part in ceremonies in Germany, France and Britain to commemorate the 50th Anniversary of the Airlift. Halvorsen also does a lot of candy throughout the United States.
Halvorsen does not want to just re-enact candy to countries that are no longer war-ravaged. In the following years he advocated using candy drops to lift his spirits and promote goodwill in other countries. In 1994 he persuaded the air force to let him drop hundreds of candy bars in Bosnia-Herzegovina as part of Operation Giving Promise. One more, a larger decline was planned and implemented by Halvorsen on Kosovo in 1999. Additional candies have been introduced in Japan, Guam, Albania, and throughout the United States. In 2003 and 2004, he advocated a similar set of candies on top of Baghdad as a humanitarian mission to be "a ray of hope, a symbol that someone in America cares about." Since then, the US military has mimicked some of its actions in Iraq by dropping toys, teddy bears and footballs to Iraqi children.
References
Further reading
- Brokaw, Tom. Christmas From Heaven: The Real Story of Berlin Bombing Bomber . Salt Lake City, Utah: Deseret Book Company, 2013. ISBNÃ, 1-60907-700-8.
- Cherny, Andrei The Candy Bombers - The Uncountable Story of the Berlin Airlift and the Last Hour of America . Berkeley: The Berkeley Publishing Group, 2009. ISBNÃ, 978-0-425-22771-8.
- Halvorsen, Gail S. Gail S. Collection of Halvorsen, 1945-2004. MSS 2220; The manuscripts of the 20th century and Western Mormon; Tom Perry Special Collection, Harold B. Lee Library, Brigham Young University.
- Halvorsen, Gail S. Berlin Candy Bomber . Bountiful, UT: Horizon Publishers, 1990. ISBNÃ, 0-88290-361-6.
- Miller, George M. To Save the City: The Berlin Airlift 1948-1949 . Hawaii: University Press of the Pacific, 1998. ISBNÃ, 0-89875-805-X.
- Launius, Roger D. Interview with Gail S. Halvorsen, USAF-Ret, May 13, 1988 . Provo, Utah: Special Collection L. Tom Perry, Brigham Young University
- Raven, Margot Theis. Mercedes and Chocolate Pilot: The Real Story of the Berlin Airlift and the Sweets Dropped from the Sky . Chelsea, MI: Sleeping Bear Press, 2002. ISBNÃ, 1-58536-069-4.
- Roughton, Randy. "Forever Candy Bomber." Airman 55, no. 3 (2011): 44-47.
- Thompson, Warren E. "Gail Halvorsen." Illustrated Aircraft 42, no. 10 (2009): 24-29. ISSNÃ, 0002-2675.
- Tunnell, Michael O. Bomber Candy: The "Chocolate Pilot" Story from Berlin Airlift . Watertown, Massachusetts: Charlesbridge, 2010. ISBNÃ, 1-58089-336-8.
External links
- Gail Halvorsen's personal website
- Collection of Gail S. Halvorsen, MSS 2220 in the Special Collection L. Tom Perry, Brigham Young University
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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