ST. GEORGE — Col. Gail Halvorsen, the former Air Force pilot popularly known as the “Berlin Candy Bomber,” has died at the age of 101.
A statement from the Gail S. Halvorsen Aviation Education Foundation said Halvorsen died Wednesday evening at Utah Valley Hospital in Provo after a brief illness, surrounded by most of his children, KSL reported.
Halvorsen was an endearing icon to generations of Utahns and a familiar fixture at parades and celebrations. Last July 3, he appeared at the KONY 4th of July Celebration at Greater Zion Stadium in St. George. After dropping candy on the field from a helicopter, Halvorsen then took the stage, where he was honored with a lifetime achievement award presented by a woman who was one of the recipients of the candy he’d dropped on Berlin more than seven decades earlier during the Berlin Airlift operation.
After receiving the award, Halvorsen waved to the appreciative audience and said, “God bless America!”
The foundation’s website features the following first-hand account of the candy drop, in Halvorsen’s own words:
One day in July 1948 I met 30 kids at the barbed wire fence at Tempelhof in Berlin. They were so excited. All I had was two sticks of gum. I broke them in two and passed them through the barbed wire. The result was unbelievable. Those with the gum tore off strips of the wrapper and gave them to the others. Those with the strips put them to their noses and smelled the tiny fragrance. The expression of pleasure was unmeasurable.
“I was so moved by what I saw and their incredible restraint that I promised them I would drop enough gum for each of them the next day as I came over their heads to land. They would know my plane because I would wiggle the wings as I came over the airport.”
“When I got back to base I attached gum and even chocolate bars to three handkerchief parachutes. We wiggled the wings and delivered the goods the next day. What a jubilant celebration.
Col. Gail Halvorsen is a hero to so many. His courage and compassion in the most difficult of times have inspired generations and remind us all that kindness and goodness can win.
Rest in peace, Col. Halvorsen. We will never forget your service. pic.twitter.com/cwXxEMmO57
— Utah Gov. Spencer J. Cox (@GovCox) February 17, 2022
In an excerpt from his book “The Berlin Candy Bomber,” Halvorsen wrote:
As I look back at “Operation Little Vittles’ and the years that have followed there is one human characteristic above all others that gave it birth… the silent gratitude of the children at a barbed wire fence in Berlin, July, 1948. They did not beg for chocolate. Flour meant freedom. Because not one child begged, thousands received over 21 tons of candy from the sky, or delivered on the ground, over the next 14 months.
Halvorsen then reflected on the importance of gratitude, saying, “In man’s search for fulfillment and happiness, material rewards pale compared to the importance of gratitude, integrity and service before self. Gratitude brings unexpected special blessings, communication is facilitated, understanding is accomplished and progress accelerated.”
For more information about Halvorsen and his legacy, visit thecandybomber.org.
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