President Reagan described our democracy as a “shining city on the hill”—a beacon of hope for struggling nations. That the best way to promote our values is to demonstrate them every day for all to see.
Yesterday, our country lost our longest living ambassador of love, compassion, and kindness. Air Force Colonel (retired) Gail Halvorsen, also known as The Candy Bomber, passed away at age 101.
Halverson is best known for his initiative during the Berlin Airlift of 1948-49, officially known as Operation Vittles. After talking to some despondent Berlin children, Lieutenant Halvorsen advised them to stick close to the runway the next time he flew into Tempelhof Airport. After signaling with a rock of his wings (the children would later nickname him “Uncle Wiggly Wings”,) he dropped small packets of chocolate and other candy out the doors of the plane before landing. The children were ecstatic, the Germans grateful, and thus was born Operation Little Vittles.
After the airlift, Col Halvorsen continued a successful Air Force career—including a stint as the commander of Tempelhof Airport—and retired in 1974. That might have been the end of his official career, but he never stopped representing our country as a humanitarian hero. Besides returning to Berlin multiple times for candy drop reenactments, Halvorsen performed candy drops in Bosnia-Herzegovina, Albania, Japan, Guam, and Iraq.
While the candy he delivered may have been symbolic, his commitment was not. I flew with Col Halvorsen at 18,000 feet over war-torn Bosnia in 1994 during the Balkan wars. We both wore flak vests inside our armored aircraft and used supplemental oxygen for the high-altitude airdrop. While our Air Force never lost a C-130 during these airdrops, the flashes of gunfire on the ground made it clear that Col Halvorsen was delivering his message in a combat zone.
I remember being amazed at this 74-year-old man energetically immersing himself in the mission—as fit as an airman half his age—and thinking how fortunate I was to meet this kind of hero near the end of his life. Little did I know, Col Halvorsen would continue this kind of work for the next 27 years.
I think President Reagan was telling our nation it’s less important what you say your country stands for and more important to do the things that represent your country’s values.
Colonel Gail Halvorsen had that figured out a long time ago.
Here’s a toast…