FReeper Canteen ~ Hall of Heroes: Berlin Airlift Part 4 ~ July 28, 2008

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[Kathy in Alaska]

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~ Hall of Heroes ~

60th Anniversary of the

Berlin Airlift
Part 4

All info and photos from this website.

           

Berlin Airlift Veterans Return to Germany for Anniversary
By Air Force Staff Sgt. Julie Weckerlein
Special to American Forces Press Service

WASHINGTON, June 27, 2008 – For 50 years, Dub Southers recalled the grueling hours he worked at an air base in northern Germany at the start of the Berlin Airlift, not the historical significance of what he helped to achieve as a flight engineer and crew chief.

He remembered well the coal being shipped in from local coal fields, the 196 missions he flew over Berlin and being a 20-year-old Air Force staff sergeant keeping the C-54 Skymaster aircraft flying.

"Coal was our basic cargo," said Southers, now 81 and living in Texas. "Occasionally, we flew flour, but I can't recall anything other than coal."

It wasn't until 1998 that Southers started really thinking about the importance of the airlift mission, which lasted from June 1948 to May 1949 and provided vital resources to the German city cut in half by Soviet rule, he said.

As the anniversary approached, he asked his daughter to search online for activities happening in Berlin. Her search found the Berlin Airlift Veterans Association, and he became its secretary.

He ended up visiting Germany that year for the 50th anniversary, and he and seven other association members have returned to take part in 60th anniversary observances.

They will re-enact the first flight of the airlift, he said, and visit the memorial at Rhein-Main Air Base, get on a C-47 and fly the corridor from Frankfurt to Templehof Air Base in Berlin, where there will be another memorial service.

"I was amazed [in 1998] how much progress had been made in the Western sector of Berlin, and how little had been made in the Eastern Zone at that time," he said. "By the time I went again in 2004, it was better, though, and quite a bit more had been done."

In November 1948, Germany was much different. Southers arrived at Celle Air Base from his duty station at McChord Field, Wash., as part of the initial group of airmen sent in for the airlift mission. The Memphis, Tenn., native said he couldn't believe the amount of fog that blanketed the area.

"That was really surprising to me," he said. "It was actually a very nice area. After a few months, when we had enough people, we were allowed to go off base into the town, where there were actually some good places to eat and catch a show."

The area hadn't been bombed. "I heard that the British monarchy actually owned a castle in the area," Southers said, "and they didn't want that destroyed."

Those short trips to the city were a brief respite from the busy work hours that dominated Southers' time at Celle Air Base. The base was located near coal fields, which were connected to the base. A platform was built right onto the bays along the flightline so the coal could be stacked and supplied to the aircraft right away.
The team of airmen was very short of personnel, especially mechanics, Southers recalled.

"When I first got over there, we were working around the clock, 12 [hours] on, 12 off, seven days a week. They eventually hired local German aircraft mechanics who worked alongside us. I remember them being very good, as they were older and more experienced."

Southers returned to the United States in July 1949. He left the military after three years, earned a degree in chemical engineering and settled down with his family. He now works as part-owner of a small software company.

"I didn't even think about [the Berlin Airlift] much," he said. "I'm not even sure that my family knew I was involved in it until a few years before the 50th anniversary. Of course, the history books didn't have much about it either."

He said by observing the anniversary and remembering the 31 Americans who died in aircraft accidents during the mission, Americans learn about the importance of the Berlin Airlift.

"At this point, I'm very proud of being a part of it," he said. "I know that we affected history big-time. We call it the first victory of the Cold War. Because of the Berlin Airlift, Europe is free. All of Europe would have ended up communist if we were run out."

He said during his first return to Germany, Germans actually approached him with appreciation.

"We were wearing caps that identified us as Berlin Airlift veterans, and I don't know how many times we were stopped and thanked for what we did," he said.

He also pointed out that the Air Force today and the way it does business is shaped by the Berlin Airlift mission.

"The cargo aircraft today was designed based upon lessons we learned," he said. "At least, that's what they tell us. The technology has changed, but a lot about the airlift mission today is based upon what we learned back then."

Today's Air Force senior leaders agree the Berlin Airlift was a huge moment for the service.

"The Berlin Airlift was a seminal moment for airpower and a pivotal event in world history," said Gen. Duncan J. McNabb, the Air Force vice chief of staff, during a recent ceremony honoring another Berlin Airlift airman, retired Col. Gail Halvorsen, also known as "the Candy Bomber" for his drops of candy and chocolate for local children. "It showed the deep compassion of the American people and sent a message of hope and liberty to Berliners and to freedom-loving people around the world."

Southers said he does not feel like a hero, despite the pride he and fellow airmen share about their role in the mission.

"The real heroes were the German people in Berlin who suffered the things they put up with in the Eastern Zone," he said. "People just disappeared under the communist rule, because they were speaking out for freedom. We provided what they needed to get by. They are the ones who held out and persevered."

(Air Force Staff Sgt. Julie Weckerlein serves in the Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs Office.)

Veterans honor Berlin Airlift's 60th anniversary
     
by Staff Sgt. Jason David
Air Force News Agency Det. 4


6/27/2008 - BERLIN (AFPN) -- American, British and French veterans have returned to Germany to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift.

Dr. Helmut Trotnow, the curator of the Allied Museum in Berlin, attributed part of the dissolution of the Soviet blockade to the U.S. armed forces involved in the airlift.

"This is not just an aspect of history in the books, but it's flesh and blood human beings," he said. "They had feelings. They had hopes. They had thoughts. They had ideas, and you know if they hadn't had stuck to their ideas of freedom and democracy, the Berlin Airlift might not have been a success."

The Berlin Airlift kicked off with Operation Vittles. Its mission was to supply roughly 1,500 tons worth of goods daily to keep more than 2 million East Berliners alive while under Soviet occupation. West Berlin was occupied by Allied interests: the United States, Great Britain and France.

In June 1948, the newly created U.S. Air Force, with help from the French and British air forces reacted to the blockade with continual daily flights that dropped much needed food and supplies into the city of West Berlin. On May 12, 1949, the Soviet government yielded and lifted the blockade.

"We had a job to do and we got it done," said retired Master Sgt. Jonny Macia, an aircraft maintainer from the airlift. "The crews were flying night and day. We had everybody doing their job, and at Templehoff, the planes were coming in about every 90 seconds. The aircraft were tearing up the runways, so the German's had men and women on the side with shovels and sand and tar filling up the holes. It took everyone to run the operation. At the time we just thought we needed to get it done."

The Airlift ended Sept. 30, 1949, 15 months after it started. In total, the U.S. and British aircrews delivered more than 2.3 million tons of goods from 277,569 flights to Berlin. Some historians say this "battle" saved more than 2.5 million people without firing a single shot.

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[AZamericonnie]

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[Old Sarge]

HI

[Kathy in Alaska]

Please note: The author of the Hall of Heroes is StarCMC. Please thank her for today’s thread. She is out of town.

Hall of Heroes: The Berlin Airlift Part 4

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[Kathy in Alaska]

Honoring Our Heroes

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[Kathy in Alaska]

A PRAYER OF PROTECTION

The light of God surround you
The love of God enfold you
The power of God protect you
The presence of God watch over you
Wherever you are, God is,
And all is well.
Amen.

BLESS THIS HOUSE

 Bless this house O Lord we pray; Make it safe by night and day; 
Bless these walls so firm and stout, Keeping want and trouble out:
Bless the roof and chimneys tall, Let thy peace lie over all;
Bless this door, that it may prove ever open to joy and love.
Bless these windows shining bright, Letting in God's heav'nly light;
Bless the hearth a'blazing there, with smoke ascending like a prayer;
Bless the folk who dwell within, keep them pure and free from sin;
Bless us all that we may be Fit O Lord to dwell with thee;
Bless us all that one day we May dwell O Lord with thee. 

(Click on graphics for music)

[SandRat]

Tally-Ho!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Hello Veterans, wherever you are!!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Look at you, AZ...grabbing the gold!!

[SandRat]

The Berlin Candy Bomber

Gail S. Halvorsen is 87 years old. He is still throwing candys and Hershey chocolate for the children on the ILA 2008 in Berlin - Schönefeld.

[Kathy in Alaska]

And right behind...is Sarge to snag the silver!!

[SandRat]

This is a gotta see story on the airlift http://www.talkingproud.us/HistoryBerlinCandyBomber.html

[Kathy in Alaska]

And rounding out the top 3....Sand bags the bronze!!

[HopeandGlory]

Good morning Troops, Veterans and Canteeners.

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Our Flag Flying Proudly One Nation Under God

* * * * * * * * * * * *

Lord, Please Bless Our Troops, They're fighting for our Freedom.

I pledge allegiance to the Flag
of the United States of America,
and to the Republic, for which it stands;
one nation UNDER GOD,
indivisible,
with liberty and justice for all.

Prayers going up.

[Kathy in Alaska]

United States Marine Corps Band~National Anthem

[Kathy in Alaska]

[Think free or die]

Thank you for the remembrance. My father-in-law served with the Army Corps of Engineers before and during the Berlin Airlift. He was stationed at Hanau Depot. Heavy construction equipment needed to be airlifted to Berlin for the construction of a new airport. Part of his work was devising ways to transport the necessary heavy equipment to Berlin. In many cases, the equipment was so large and so heavy that it had never been transported by air before this time. He was young and energetic, and I know he took great satisfaction in the work he and his fellow soldiers accomplished in those years. Sadly, Pop didn’t live to see this 60th anniversary. He passed on in 2005.

[Kathy in Alaska]

NOSE PLUG - U.S. Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class David Mathews installs a set of screws after replacing a nose plug on a laser guided bomb unit aboard the Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan, July 23, 2008. The nose plug is removed in order to attach a lift bar to the bomb to be used in a manual lift.U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Gary Prill

ATLANTIC TRAINING - A U.S. Marine peers out of his amphibious assault vehicle as he prepares to embark the amphibious dock landing ship USS Carter Hall during a composite unit training exercise in the Atlantic Ocean, July 19, 2008. The Marine is assigned to the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit.U.S. Navy photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Katrina Parker

[hinckley buzzard]

The Berlin Candy Bomber

I recall well the time Bill Clinton was posturing about this hero. The einstein from Hope referred to Col.(Gail) Halvorsen as "she."

[The Mayor]

Freep mail me to be on or off the Daily Bread ping list

July 28, 2008

Desperate For Answers

ODB RADIO: Listen Now |  Download
READ: Deuteronomy 18:9-14

When you come into the land which the Lord your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. —Deuteronomy 18:9

A popular afternoon television program a few years ago was hosted by a self-proclaimed medium. He supposedly received messages from spirits of the dead to give to their family members in his studio audience. His readings prompted many people to believe in this occultic practice.

We live in a culture where people are desperate to know their future, and they’ll turn to psychics and mediums for answers—a practice expressly forbidden in the Scriptures.

The ancient Israelites were desperate to know their future, and God knew that they would be tempted to consult ungodly sources for answers. So He warned them to stay away from mediums and those who contact the dead (Lev. 19:26,31; 20:27; Deut. 18:9-14).

God knew that these practices would prevent ancient Israel from being a holy, set-apart people who would be a blessing to all nations. The future for Israel was determined by their faithfulness to God’s covenant, not the words of soothsayers and psychics. Reliance on these evil practices indicated a failure to trust the Lord with their lives.

When you are desperate for information about your future, turn to the sovereign God of heaven. He is the only One who holds the answers you seek.

Shall not He who led me safely
Through the footsteps of this day
Lead with equal understanding
All along my future way? —Adams

The what of our future is determined by the who of eternity.

Bible in One Year: Esther 7–8; Proverbs 10:12-21