Posted on 02/18/2022 7:24:23 AM PST by hoagy62
Gail Halvorsen, a former U.S. airman known as the “Candy Bomber” for delivering sweets to children during the Berlin Airlift, died on Wednesday at the age of 101.
The Gail S. Halvorsen Aviation Education Foundation confirmed the veteran's death in a statement on Thursday.
The foundation said he passed away peacefully and surrounded by family at the Utah Valley Hospital following a brief illness.
Halvorsen gained his "Candy Bomber" moniker during the 15-month Berlin Airlift after World War II that saw western allies drop essential supplies into West Berlin after it was blockaded by the Soviet Union.
The airman had befriended a group of German children and promised to deliver them candy — a vow he made good on.
(Excerpt) Read more at nbcnews.com ...
Fair skies, Col. Halvorsen.
Col Halvorsen was Commander of the 6596th Instrumentation Squadron at Vandenberg AFB, California, from June 1968 to February 1970,
Closest I got to meeting him, TDY There from LAAFB those years. He had previously been on the Titan and MOL programs in LA before I was.
SALUTE
Thank you for posting this news. May Col. Halvorsen, aka “the Candy Bomber,” rest in peace.
I encourage folks to read the book “The Candy Bomber”. It will make you proud.
RIP, Col Halvorsen
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