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WIESBADEN, Germany -- "The noise of the planes became the sound
of hope for the people of Germany."
That's how Frankfurt City
Treasurer Uwe Becker described the massive humanitarian effort to
supply the besieged people of Berlin in 1948 and 1949. Becker spoke
on June 26, 2013 during the 65th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift
at the memorial situated just outside the former Rhein Main Airbase
-- now part of the Frankfurt International Airport.
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Retired Col. Gail Halvorsen and Col. David Carstens unveil a plaque on the Berlin Airlift pilot's
former barracks on Clay Kaserne, Germany, June 27, 2013.
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Speakers from the city and Hessen government praised the
superhuman effort made by the Allies in the wake of World
War II to provide the deprived citizens with millions of
tons of desperately needed flour, coal and other goods
during the Soviet Blockade of the city, which signaled the
start of the Cold War.
Saying the memorial is now
under official protection of the German government, Becker
recalled the more than 80 German, American and British
pilots and crew who gave their lives in the effort and
thanked retired Col. Gail Halvorsen, who was present, for
his part in helping German-American relations grow and
flourish following the dark days of World War II.
Describing how the young lieutenant's personal intervention
-- dropping small parachutes with chocolate bars to the
children of Berlin -- gained the attention and appreciation
of people around the world, Becker said Halvorsen put a
personal face on the massive humanitarian effort.
"With your idea, Gail Halvorsen, you brought humanity to the
people of Berlin and Germany," Becker said.
As in the
days of the airlift, when the pilot lit up the faces of the
children of Berlin with his small gifts, the now 92-year-old
was happy to meet the young German children of today at the
ceremony. Members of the Frankfurt Musterschule sang for him
and those gathered after first getting a chance to shake
hands and joke with the congenial American.
"It's
very important to be with the children today to tell them
about the children of Berlin who didn't have any bread or
anything else to eat," said Halvorsen. "The children are why
I am here today."
Members of the Wiesbaden military
community gathered on Clay Kaserne on June 27, 2013 to
welcome the famed airlift pilot, known as the "Candy Bomber"
and "Uncle Wiggly Wings" for the signal he gave to the
youngsters of Berlin upon approaching the city during the
airlift, and to commemorate a building in his honor.
"Today we are witnesses of history: not just where it
took place, but by whom," said Col. David Carstens, U.S.
Army Garrison Wiesbaden commander, outside Building 1013,
which served as a barracks for the pilots who flew airlift
missions from the airfield.
"Flying from Wiesbaden,
Rhein-Main and other airfields in Germany, the western
Allies eventually transported more than 2 million tons of
goods in more than 277,000 flights in and out of Berlin
before the Soviet stranglehold was broken and the siege
ended on May 12, 1949," said Carstens. "The name of the
casern, Lucius D. Clay, and the road signs posted within,
pay tribute to the extraordinary men and women who worked,
flew and even sacrificed their lives in this noble effort to
safeguard liberty and ensure the survival of Germany's frail
democracy following the defeat of National Socialism."
"What an honor to be home," said Halvorsen, while
joining Carstens in unveiling a plaque on the former
barracks commemorating his residence, from December 1948 to
February 1949, and describing Operation Little Vittles which
saw some 24 tons of candy being distributed by air to
Berlin's youth during the airlift. "I didn't live here much,
because I was in the air most of the time," he said, adding
that the Wiesbaden quarters were a major step up from the
tar-paper shack he and fellow pilots called home while
flying from Rhein Main Air Base in the early stages of the
mission.
Putting the airlift in perspective for his
present-day listeners, Halvorsen said not one pilot
complained about the up-to-three flights a day they made in
and out of Berlin to feed the same people some of them had
fought during the war.
Describing how he lost a best
buddy who was shot down during the war, Halvorsen quoted
another World War II/airlift veteran pilot who said, "It's a
hell of a lot better to feed them than to kill them."
Before coming to Germany to serve in the airlift
mission, Halvorsen said he wondered what it would be like to
encounter the U.S.'s former foes.
"I wondered what
these supermen were going to look like," he recalled.
Then, after clearing the destroyed buildings of Berlin
and finally landing safely on his first mission of
transporting flour during the airlift, he was relieved to
see the plane's doors swing open and several men come
forward to unload the flour with their hands extended in
friendship -- "looking at us like we were angels from
heaven."
"The pleasure of food was secondary to the
principle of freedom," he said. "That's one of the biggest
lessons I learned in the airlift."
And from the
grateful children of Berlin, Halvorsen said he learned how
important the gift of peace, freedom and democracy was to a
population that feared more oppression from the Soviet Union
similar to what they had experienced under Nazi rule.
"The American-style dream of freedom was their future
and Stalin's rule was their nightmare," he said. "If we lose
our freedom, we'll never get it back. That's what those kids
taught me."
"Colonel Halvorsen, we are most honored
to have you and your son here today," said Carstens. "You
represent all that is best about our armed forces and the
sacrifices made over the past 70 years securing liberty and
freedom -- both at home and abroad. Thank you for your
service and leadership at a time when Germany's fledgling
democracy needed your service most. I hope this plaque will
always make sure that you consider Wiesbaden: Your home in
Germany."
By Karl Weisel, USAG Wiesbaden
Army News Service
Copyright 2013
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