FReeper Canteen ~ The Berlin Airlift ~ Part 4: The Legacy ~ 18 December 2023

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[Kathy in Alaska]

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The Berlin Airlift
Part 4: The Legecy

All info and photos from this website.

Link to Part 1
Link to Part 2
Link to Part 3

           

THE AIRLIFT'S LEGACY
 

The most obvious result of this confrontation was the 40-year Cold War with the Soviet Union, which ebbed with the construction of the Berlin Wall, and the Korean and Vietnam Conflicts.  The US also forged a newfound friendship with Germany, its former foe, and established the Federal Republic of Germany as a result.  In addition, the North Atlantic Treaty organization (NATO) was formed as a result of the crisis. 

Less politically, our aircraft and airway system we enjoy today was developed and perfected as a result of the Berlin Airlift.  Ground Controlled Approach or GCA was greatly improved as a necessity for the aircraft to land in Berlin, and our air traffic control system is a direct development of that technology.  Loading procedures and maintenance procedures are greatly improved as a result, too.

More importantly, the Berlin Airlift demonstrated the military need for Air Transport in addition to Bombers and Fighters.  A result is the Air Mobility Command and aircraft like the C-141 Starlifter, the C-130 Hercules, the C-5 Galaxy, and our newest transport, the C-17 Globemaster III. 

All of these political and logistical ideas came as a result of the resolve of the US, Great Britain, France, and Germany to resist totalitarian tactics and wage a battle of air transport.  This battle saved over 2.5 million people without firing a single shot.  In a matter of fifteen months in 1948-49, world history was changed by the greatest humanitarian aviation event in history, the Berlin Airlift. 

MEMORIALS: The Airlift Memorial at Rhein Main Air Base, Frankfurt, and on Luftbruckenplatz at Tempelhf  Airport in Berlin.

Each prong represents one of the 3 air corridors used during "Operation Vittles", and the names of the US and British Airmen killed in the process are inscribed on the base of each.

31 Americans lost their lives during the Berlin Airlift, paying the ultimate price for the freedom of others.  Let that not be forgotten.

1st Lt George B. Smith Tuscaloosa, Alabama	Captain James A. Vaughan New Haven, Connecticut	Cpl Norbert H. Theis Cunningham, Kansas
1st Lt Leland V. Williams Abilene, Texas	1st Lt Eugene S. Erickson Collinsville, Illinois	PFC Ronald E. Stone  Mt. Sterling, Kentucky
Mr Karl V. Hagen New York, New York	Sgt Richard Winter Seattle, Washington	1st Lt Ralph H. Boyd Fort Worth, Texas
1st Lt Charles H. King Britton, South Dakota	Captain Billy E. Phelps Long Beach, California	1st Lt Craig B. Ladd Minneapolis, Minnesota
1st Lt Robert W. Stuber Arlington, California	1st Lt Willis F. Hargis Nacogdoches, Texas	TSgt Charles L. Putnam Colorado Springs, Colorado
Major Edwin C. Diltz Fayetteville, Texas	TSgt Lloyd G. Wells San Antonio, Texas	1st Lt Robert P. Weaver Fort Wayne, Indiana
Captain Willian R. Howard Gunnison, Mississippi	AD/3 Harry R. Crites, Jr. Lafayette, Indiana	1st Lt Royce C. Stephens San Antonio, Texas
Captain Joel M. DeVolentine Miami, Florida	1st Lt Richard M. Wurgel Union City, New Jersey	1st Lt Robert C. von Luehrte Covington, Kentucky
1st Lt William T. Lucas Wilson, North Carolina	1st Lt Lowell A. Wheaton, Jr. Corpus Christi, Texas	2nd Lt Donald J. Leemon Green Bay, Wisconsin
PFC Johnny T. Orms Rhein-Main Air Base	Captain William A. Rathgeber Portland, Oregon	TSgt Herbert F. Heinig Fort Wayne, Indiana
	Sgt Bernard J. Watkins Lafayette, Indiana

 

Please remember the Canteen is here to honor, support and entertain our troops and their families.  This is a politics-free zone!  Thanks for helping us in our mission!

[MoochPooch]

Evening, Kathy!

Woohoo, am I in the Top 10?

[rktman]

👍🛩. Yup! Uncle flew before and after.

[Kathy in Alaska]

You did it again...1st! Did you have a wonderful Hanukkah?

We just had another 6” of snow overnight, temps today in the mid-30s, wind knocking all the flocking off the trees, and the melting will be ice by morning. Not a terrific weather day.

[PROCON]

Thanks and Merry Christmas, Kathy and thanks for another great story about the Berlin Airlift!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, rktman...we thank your Uncle for his service to our country. Hope he had lots of stories for his family.

Those pilots did something special.

[rktman]

He did. Of course “Army Air Corps” obviously then Air Force with my aunt also from AAC.

[radu]

Greetings to all at the Canteen!

To all our military men and women, past and present,

THANK YOU
for your service!

The Berlin Airlift was an amazing accomplishment by the pilots and all involved in the mission. A major gift of giving.

[radu]

Howdy, Kathy.

Did you get around to working on your path - AGAIN - to the mailbox yet? Darn that snow last night!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Our thanks to BOTH your Uncle and your Aunt for their service to our country.

[Kathy in Alaska]

~ The Berlin Airlift ~ Part 4: The Legacy ~

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[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, Pro...and we wind up another year of remembering the Berlin Airlift.

[Kathy in Alaska]

Good evening, radu...an amazing accomplishment for sure. This needs to be done, and now. Plan it and execute. And THEY did!!

Hope you got some of that much needed rain.

[radu]

Yes, we got some rain, finally, but I don’t know how much. I always bring the rain gauge in when it’s going to drop below freezing and I did that last weekend. Then I forgot to put it back out yesterday. *sigh* It was very light rain so my guess is between .1 and .2s.
I’ll put it out again later this week when it warms up so it’ll be in place for the rain they predict next weekend.

[rktman]

LOL! And my dad, our niece, our daughter, our grand daughter, me, brother in law, father in law. And kin back to the revolution and civil war. With the present (b)administration I wouldn’t encourage anyone now. Sad!

[rktman]

Oh yeah. Merry Christmas to all!

[The Mayor]

December 18

My God Is Near

Bible in a Year :

• Obadiah
• Revelation 9

The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but . . . present your requests to God.

Philippians 4:5–6

For more than thirty years, Lourdes, a voice teacher in Manila, had taught students face to face. When she was asked to conduct classes online, she was anxious. “I’m not good with computers,” she recounted. “My laptop is old, and I’m not familiar with video conferencing platforms.”

While it may seem a small thing to some, it was a real stressor for her. “I live alone, so there is no one to help,” she said. “I’m concerned that my students will quit, and I need the income.”

Before each class, Lourdes would pray for her laptop to work properly. “Philippians 4:5–6 was the wallpaper on my screen,” she said. “How I clung to those words.”

Paul exhorts us to not be anxious about anything, because “the Lord is near” (Philippians 4:5). God’s promise of His presence is ours to hold on to. As we rest in His nearness and commit everything to Him in prayer—both big and small—His peace guards our “hearts and . . . minds in Christ Jesus” (v. 7).

“God led me to websites about fixing computer glitches,” Lourdes said. “He also gave me patient students who understood my technological limitations.” God’s presence, help, and peace are ours to enjoy as we seek to follow Him all the days of our life. We can say with confidence: “Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice!” (v. 4).  .

Reflect & Pray

How can knowing that God is near change your reaction of worry to one of peace? What specific requests can you present to Him?

Dear God, thank You for being near me. Because of Your loving presence, help, and peace, I don’t have to be anxious.

[luvie]

Thanks for another awesome episode
of this amazing story of compassion
from our troops!

[Kathy in Alaska]

Not yet. Shoveled another good 4” of snow off the deck this morning. Not so fluffy today. Then the temps went into the mid 30s and the wind started blowing. Haven’t looked out since. Been working at my own desk all day and am almost to the last layer. Major accomplishments...LOL! I still have to retrieve yesterday’s mail, so will work on my path then.

[ExTexasRedhead]

Remembering Pearl Harbor | FULL DOCUMENTARY | Tom Selleck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yIQfOnDf4mw

Check the comments below the video.

“One of the best documentaries I have seen on Pearl Harbor. To all that gave their all that day thank you for the freedom I have today. May God bless you all. “