Share This Episode
Our American Stories Lee Habeeb Logo

Gail Halvorsen: The Man Who Bombed Berlin with Candy

Our American Stories / Lee Habeeb
The Truth Network Radio
May 30, 2025 3:00 am

Gail Halvorsen: The Man Who Bombed Berlin with Candy

Our American Stories / Lee Habeeb

00:00 / 00:00
On-Demand Podcasts NEW!

This broadcaster has 4367 podcast archives available on-demand.

Broadcaster's Links

Keep up-to-date with this broadcaster on social media and their website.


May 30, 2025 3:00 am

The Berlin Airlift was a remarkable story of American compassion and ingenuity during World War II. Colonel Gail Halverson, a young pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps, played a crucial role in the airlift, dropping candy and supplies to the people of West Berlin. His story highlights the importance of service before self, gratitude, and attitude in achieving success and making a positive impact on others.

YOU MIGHT ALSO LIKE:

This is an iHeart Podcast. You have a long list of things to deal with. Check dry eye symptoms off with Refresh Reliva PF Extra lubricant eye drops. Offering an advanced formula to soothe and hydrate your dry eyes. Refresh Reliva PF Extra includes moisture-locking technology that prevents further irritation and gives you lasting relief. You deserve relief from your dry eye symptoms and your eyes deserve extra.

Find Refresh online or in the eye drop section at all major retailers. FSA and HSA eligible. Get this, adults with financial literacy skills have 82% more wealth than those who don't. From swimming lessons to piano classes, us parents invest in so many things to enrich our kids' lives. But are we investing in their future financial success? With Greenlight, you can teach your kids financial literacy skills like earning, saving, and investing. And this investment costs less than that afterschool treat. Start prioritizing their financial education and future today with a risk-free trial at greenlight.com slash iHeart. greenlight.com slash iHeart.

This is Jana Kramer from Windown with Jana Kramer. Have you ever felt that uneasy anxiety when the 4 p.m. hour strikes? The creeping meal related distress that happens when you don't quite feel prepared? You know, dinner dread. Let's get rid of that unpleasant feeling forever with one word, Stouffer's. No matter what happens, you'll have a dinner plan that everyone loves with Stouffer's. Some chicken enchiladas or cheesy chicken and broccoli pasta bake is always welcome whether it is plan A or plan D-licious. When the clock strikes dinner, think Stouffer's. Shop now for family favorites. Have you ever felt uneasy about how traditional banks are using your money or worried about getting de-banked?

You're not alone. More and more Americans are taking a stand in choosing financial institutions that actually reflect their values. America's Christian Credit Union is an easy-to-use financial institution built on faith-based principles, providing trustworthy, secure banking options that align with what matters most to you and your family. America's Christian Credit Union is member focused.

That means better rates, lower fees and service that actually puts you first. Whether it's checking, savings, loans or more, America's Christian Credit Union is a partner you can count on. So take back control of your finances and support an institution that shares your values. Visit AmericasChristianCU.com today to learn more and become a member. That's AmericasChristianCU.com. It's time to take a stand and choose a financial institution that actually reflect your values. America's Christian Credit Union.

America's Christian Credit Union is federally insured by the NCUA. This is Lee Habib and this is Our American Stories, the show where America is the star and the American people. And by the way, to check out our Our American Stories podcast, subscribe on the iHeartRadio app or wherever you get your podcasts. Up next, the story of Gail Halverson, a young pilot in the U.S. Army Air Corps who was assigned as a cargo pilot at the Berlin Airlift in which U.S. forces flew much needed supplies into a war torn Soviet blockaded Berlin following World War II. Gail grew up on a farm in Utah and joined the Army Air Corps in June of 1942. Here's Colonel Halverson with the story beginning with the three reasons why he and his fellow servicemen saw the Berlin Airlift as necessary. I stayed in the Air Force, the Army Air Corps at the time, after the war and wanted to keep flying and we were briefed in our pilot meetings all the time every month about the world situation after the war and we knew from these briefings the new enemy was Stalin in communism.

He'd just taken Czechoslovakia, had the popular democratic leader assassinated, taken Hungary and we knew he's headed west. The second factor was we knew that that most of the two million, 2.5 million people in Berlin, in West Berlin were women and children, very few men and to starve them, take fresh milk or food from babies from and from women and children, that's a mitigating factor and how we felt about what we're doing. The third one was when I landed at my first trip into Berlin of 20,000 pounds of flour and opened that, had that back door, a crew chief went back, opened the door, in came these Germans, about six of them to unload and about six in the semi-trip.

I wonder how these supermen are going to look and they had mixed uniforms, part uniform, parts of any clothes, doctors or Weimark privates all together for one purpose. They needed freedom, they needed flour, we had both. And when I got out of the cockpit and walked back and that lead man came right up, put his hand in mine and gripped it and looked me in the eye and his eyes were moist and looked down at it, flour like we're angels from heaven and we're on the same page.

So there's three factors. So I got to go to Berlin and see it on the ground. I had a friend in Berlin who says you get here, I've got a jeep for you and a driver, he'll take you over and you see everything.

And so one day I came back and it was about the 17th of July, came back and landed at Rheinmein about noon. It was a beautiful day, sunshine, I was supposed to go to bed and fly that night. I had my movie camera in my hand and Bill Christian, a buddy from Mobile, Alabama, was in an airplane in the next hard stand with a load of dried potatoes ready to go to Berlin, just getting ready to start the engines.

I said holy cow, what an opportunity. Beautiful day, Bill's going, I'll just jump on the airplane with him, I'm not going to bed. I got a jeep waiting for me in Berlin, I get off the flight line, I'll go over the sea and get these great movies. And so I told John Pickering, my co-pilot, go to bed John, you and Elkins get to bed, I'm going to Berlin.

He said you're crazy. I said I know it but I'm going to Berlin. If this thing stops tomorrow they're going to send us all home. They're not going to let everybody go sightseeing to Berlin. And I want to see Berlin, I want to see Hitler's bunker, I want to see the Reichstag up close. I loved history and here I was right in the middle of it, I said I want to, it's going to be over, I'm going to Berlin.

I'll see it before I go back. All you need is a uniform, airplanes come back, no reservations required. So I jumped on the airplane, went back, we called in and the jeep was waiting. But before I went around town I wanted to get on the end of the runway and take pictures of the airplanes coming over the buildings before we had it come between the buildings.

And that's how dumb I was, I thought it was going to be over that quick. I was there to get the movies if I ever had any kids to show them the approach. And so I went around there and started shooting movies. The airplane's coming over, barbed wire fence in front of me, bombed out buildings a couple hundred yards over, and then suddenly here were the kids. See the color of their eyes, they're right up against me, looking at this uniform that was bombing them three years before.

Maybe killed their dad and mom, who knows. And I didn't know how to get, I looked down and all of a sudden these 30 kids, about roughly 30, standing right on the other side of the barbed wire from me, looking at me, and they were friendly. And I thought, why would they be friendly?

You know, here's that uniform right here. And it wasn't the first time they'd seen a uniform up close, the military, Russian first, which is terror, and the occupation guys later. Then I found out later why they were so friendly. Because their aunts and uncles were arbitrarily cut off with the border, not cut off because you could walk across the border then. But they could walk across the border, their aunts, uncles, and whoever, close family type, come over to West Berlin to use the library to see what's going on in the world. They lost their freedom. They lost freedom of the press, freedom of expression, freedom of travel, freedom of religion, freedom of electing who they wanted to be their ruler.

They lost that. So they were over there. And they were telling their aunts and uncles, man, I can't travel.

I can't do this, can't do that. And they knew. They knew then what communism was like. They had missionaries from the communists, not for this program, but negative missionaries, said, hey, this is not very cool, buddy.

You know what you can do with these guys. So they were friendly. And you're listening to Colonel Gail Halverson tell the story of why the Berlin Airlift was necessary. The people of Germany knew who we were.

We were on their side and on the side of freedom. When we come back, more of this remarkable story, not told enough in America's classrooms, the story of the Cold War, the story of the Berlin Airlift, here on Our American Stories. Lee Habib here, the host of Our American Stories. Every day on this show, we're bringing inspiring stories from across this great country, stories from our big cities and small towns.

But we truly can't do the show without you. Our stories are free to listen to, but they're not free to make. If you love what you hear, go to our American stories dot com and click the donate button. Give a little, give a lot.

Go to our American stories dot com and give. Tired of spills and stains on your sofa? Wash away your worries with Anibay. Anibay is the only machine washable sofa inside and out where designer quality meets budget friendly prices. That's right, sofas start at just six hundred ninety nine dollars. And now's the perfect time to upgrade during the Memorial Day sale.

Get up to 60 percent off site wide. Enjoy a no risk experience with pet friendly, stain resistant and changeable slip covers made with performance fabric. Experience cloud like comfort with high resilience foam that's hypoallergenic and never needs fluffing.

The sturdy steel frame ensures longevity and the modular pieces can be rearranged any time. Shop washable sofas dot com to save big this Memorial Day backed by a 30 day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not absolutely in love, send it back for a full refund. No return shipping or restocking fees.

Every penny back. Don't miss the Memorial Day sale. Upgrade now at washable sofas dot com. That's washable sofas dot com.

Offers are subject to change and certain restrictions may apply. Are dry eye symptoms frequently interrupting your day? Keep dry eyes off your schedule with refresh reliever PF extra lubricant eye drops offering an advanced formula to soothe and hydrate your eyes. With innovative hydro cell technology to lock in moisture and prevent further irritation, refresh reliever PF extra gives you lasting relief equipped with a soft squeeze multidose bottle featuring a double lockout system that keeps drops sterile so you can feel confident using it. Refresh has been delivering relief from dry eye symptoms for 35 years. It's a track record of success that has earned the trust of physicians and patients alike. You deserve relief from your dry eye symptoms and your eyes deserve extra.

Find refresh online or in the eye drop section at all major retailers, FSA and HSA eligible. Did you know that parents rank financial literacy as the number one most difficult life skill to teach? Meet Greenlight, the debit card and money app for families. With Greenlight you can send money to kids quickly, set up chores, automate allowance and keep an eye on what your kids are spending with real-time notifications.

Kids learn to earn, save and spend wisely and parents can rest easy knowing their kids are learning about money with guardrails in place. Try Greenlight risk-free today at greenlight.com slash iHeart. So you want to start a business. You might think you need a team of people and fancy tech skills but you don't.

You just need GoDaddy Aero. I'm Walton Goggins and as an actor I'm an expert in looking like I know what I'm doing even when I don't and I like the sound of starting my own business Walton Goggins Goggle Glasses but I'm an actor. I don't know what I'm doing.

I needed help. GoDaddy Aero uses AI to create everything you need to grow a business. It'll make you a unique logo. It'll create a custom website. It'll write social posts for you and even set you up with a social media calendar.

I don't even realize I needed a social media calendar. GoDaddy Aero will take your idea that sounds good and make a business that looks like you know what you're doing. GoDaddy Aero can get your business up and running in minutes. You know what that sounds like? It sounds like a plan. Get started at GoDaddy.com slash Aero.

That's GoDaddy.com slash A-I-R-O. Hi, it's Jenny Garth. We all know the importance of taking care of our physical and mental health but what about our sexual health? I've been there feeling totally stuck when it comes to my libido. That's why I started taking Addi and let me tell you I've seen firsthand what a difference it can make in how you feel. Addi is the only FDA approved pill clinically proven to help certain pre-menopausal women have more interest in sex, have more satisfying sex and lower the stress from low libido. Addi has helped hundreds of thousands of women get their drive back including me. Talk to your doctor or visit A-D-D-Y-I.com to learn more about Addi, the little pink pill.

Individual results may vary. Addi or flibanserin is for pre-menopausal women with acquired generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder, HSDD, who have not had problems with low sexual desire in the past, who have had low sexual desire no matter the type of sexual activity, the situation or the sexual partner. This low sexual desire is troubling to them and is not due to a medical or mental health problem, problems in the relationship or medicine or other drug use. Addi is not for use in children, men or to enhance sexual performance. Your risk of severe low blood pressure and fainting is increased if you drink one to two standard alcoholic drinks close in time to your Addi dose. Wait at least two hours after drinking before taking Addi at bedtime. This risk increases if you take certain prescriptions, OTC or herbal medications or have liver problems and can happen when you take Addi without alcohol or other medicines. Do not take if you're allergic to any of Addi's ingredients. Allergic reaction may include hives, itching or trouble breathing. Sometimes serious sleepiness can occur.

Common side effects include dizziness, nausea, tiredness, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep and dry mouth. See full PI and medication guide including box warning at Addi.com slash PI. Addi.

Visit A-D-D-Y-I.com to learn more about Addi. And we continue with our American stories and the story of Colonel Halverson. And in the end, the story of the Berlin Airlift and why it was so necessary and in the end, so remarkable and emblematic of the people, the country that made it happen.

American style freedom was their dream and Hitler's past and Stalin's future was their nightmare. They knew those kids, eight to 14, they were giving me a lesson about freedom. Look, he said, it's pretty good here in July.

You know, the weather's not too bad against the storms, but you wait. They had school English. They spoke, some of them spoke pretty good English, school English.

I couldn't speak any German. They said, come the winter and the fall, you can't get in here. It's going to be bad.

Kids give me a lecture. But when that happens, don't worry about us. We don't have to have enough to eat. Just don't give up on us. Someday we'll have enough to eat.

But if we lose our freedom, we'll never get it back. American style freedom was their dream and they knew about the other systems. Those kids were incredible. I just said, holy cow. And I got so interested in listening to them. I looked at them, I said, I've been there over an hour. And I said, boy, I'll be waiting. I got to get out of here. So I started to run. See you later, kids.

And got about five steps and then the kids, I stopped. I said, boy, these are incredible kids. Incredible kids.

I said, well, they got a postgraduate degree in international relations. They know what's important. They got their head screwed on.

They really know what's important. And they started to walk. And that little voice just came back again. I don't know how it overcame to get to the Jeep.

You're late. But it did. It so intrigued me. And then I knew in a flash why. Because during the war and after the war, I walked down the street in a foreign country where the kids had some chocolate, not much, but had some. And those kids would chase you going down the street, intercept you, and surround you begging for chocolate and gum. And of course, the military, since the Continental Army was Washington, going through a town to give kids stuff from the Russians. They had a little piece of chocolate or a heart attack or something, they'd give it to the kids.

That's nothing new. And then I said, they haven't had any chocolate for months. They haven't had gum. They already knew what gum was anyway. But no chocolate for months and not one of those kids would lower themselves to be a beggar for something most extravagant as chocolate. When they had flour to be free. When they wouldn't ask for more than freedom, lower themselves to beg for something more.

It blew my mind. When somebody gives you a million dollars, you don't ask for four bucks more, do you? You wouldn't ask for that. Well, they didn't ask for that cream on the top because they were so thankful for what freedom meant to them.

When I realized that, I just said, holy cow, can't believe it. Not one child put out their hand. Not one by voice inflection indicated, would you, you got some chocolate or something?

Not one. So I reached in my pocket and just had two sticks of gum. Holy cow, two sticks of gum, you're going to have fights. You're going to have bloody noses.

Get out of here. And I said, well, I'll never see these kids again. I'll be flying 24 hours without sleep.

I'll be sleeping when the autopilot's flying, coming to go on the co-pilot probably, but I can't come to the fence anymore. I'll never see these kids again. How can, how could I possibly give them something? That's why everybody, well, I said, well, give it to them.

It's all you got. Broke it in half, four pieces through the bar bar. The kids that were translating, I gave them half a stick that did most of it. And boy, they looked like they got a hundred dollar bill. Boy, they'd got a hold of that. And then here came the rest of the kids.

No fight. They just wanted a piece of the wrapper. And the kids with a half a stick, got them tore off the outer wrapper and the tinfoil and handed it to the kids that didn't get any, anything at all. And the kids, they got a piece of paper, put it up their nose and smelled it and smelled it. A piece of paper. I stood there, just flattened them. Couldn't believe what I'd seen.

Holy cow. For 30 cents, I could buy them 30 sticks of gum and they could have the wrapper and everything. But how do I deliver it?

I can't come out here. Could I get some German to deliver it? Who knows what kids would get it? Or if he'd even deliver it.

But that time an airplane flew over my head and landed right on the runway behind me. And I got the idea. I'm coming in tomorrow. I can deliver it to these kids. I can put it in that open place.

And I'll get enough for everybody. And boy, then the red light came on. Say you got to have permission for that.

You can't drop stuff out of airplanes unless you get the clearance. And then I rationalized. And that's how you get in trouble. That's the first step getting off the path.

And so I thought, well, starving 2 million people, not according to oil anyway, what's a few sticks of gum? And so I found myself almost horrified saying, kids, you come back tomorrow, stand in this open place. And when I come in to land, I'll drop enough out of the airplane two years before I land if you'll share it.

Oh, you'll vold, you'll vold, we'll share it, they said. You've been bouncing up and down. And I started leaving. They called me back.

I said, what's the matter? You got to know what airplane you're in. Every five minutes, there's an airplane coming by here. I didn't know what airplane because the airplanes from Alaska had red noses and red tails. They crashed in the snow, they could find them. And the airplanes from Hawaii had coconut palms and stuff on them.

Everybody had a different singing. And I flew whatever airplane was loaded. I don't know what airplane they'll fly. I'm just sure it was a four engine. There were a lot of two engines. C-47 is still flying.

It's a four engine. They said, I don't know if we got to know. Then I told them to wiggle the wings. When I come over the beacon at first, before I go over East Berlin to come around land, I'll wiggle the wings.

Boy, they said, let's get out of here, let's start this thing. So I went all over town, got the movies we've seen and every documentary, every major producer put out has got my film in it. I took around the city and off of the airlift as it went on.

And I took those pictures, went back to several hours where I had to start flying that night. Went to the basic change open 24 hours a day, bought all I could on my weekly ration. And I didn't have enough. So I went to my crew and I said, I got to have your ration.

They gave me theirs, had a big double handful of chocolate, chocolate bars, Hershey bars, Babe Ruth, Bounds, and double mint gum. And broke it up in three pieces, put three parachutes on it, anxious parachutes. And the next day flew that night, of course, and the next day before noon, the weather was good. Looked down there and those kids were right in the open place, between the bottom of all buildings and the barbed wire fences.

They hadn't told anybody else, it was a small group. Wiggled the wings and they went crazy. Still see their arms as they came over the bottom of that building. Right behind the pilot seat is a flare chute, where emergency flares are pushed out in case you have emergency in flight.

And it's easy for the crew chief stand between the pilots to just access that. So as they came over, they had just told them, push it out, and he pushed it out. Unloaded 20,000 pounds of flour, the Germans did, and worried that somebody had seen the airplane as parachutes would get me in trouble, and lined up to take off. Or they pulled the parachutes over barbed wire where they couldn't get them on the field. We taxied out, there's three hanks just waving through it, all the airplanes. Their mouths were going up and down, and we waved, and I said they wish they wouldn't do that, waving all the airplanes. Well, that's how it started. And you're listening to Colonel Gail Halverson tell the story of how the Berlin Airlift came to be.

Two million people trapped without any means of really supporting themselves. We had bombed many parts of Germany to bits, and leave it to American GIs to come up with the idea. Oh, one, as he said, a light bulb went off in my head. But then he realized, quote, you can't drop stuff off out of airplanes without permission. And then he added, then I rationalized, and that's when you get in trouble.

More of this remarkable story, the story of the Berlin Airlift, the story of American compassion and ingenuity, here on Our American Stories. Tired of spills and stains on your sofa? Wash away your worries with Anibay. Anibay is the only machine washable sofa, inside and out, where designer quality meets budget-friendly prices. That's right, sofas start at just $699. And now's the perfect time to upgrade during the Memorial Day sale.

Get up to 60% off site-wide. Enjoy a no-risk experience with pet-friendly, stain-resistant, and changeable slipcovers made with performance fabric. Experience cloud-like comfort with high-resilience foam that's hypoallergenic and never needs fluffing.

The sturdy steel frame ensures longevity, and the modular pieces can be rearranged anytime. Shop washablesofas.com to save big this Memorial Day, backed by a 30-day satisfaction guarantee. If you're not absolutely in love, send it back for a full refund. No return shipping or restocking fees.

Every penny back. Don't miss the Memorial Day sale. Upgrade now at washablesofas.com. That's washablesofas.com.

Offers are subject to change, and certain restrictions may apply. Are dry eye symptoms frequently interrupting your day? Keep dry eyes off your schedule with Refresh Reliva PFXtra Lubricant Eyedrops, offering an advanced formula to soothe and hydrate your eyes. With innovative hydrocell technology to lock in moisture and prevent further irritation, Refresh Reliva PFXtra gives you lasting relief. Equipped with a soft squeeze multi-dose bottle, featuring a double lockout system that keeps drops sterile so you can feel confident using it. Refresh has been delivering relief from dry eye symptoms for 35 years. It's a track record of success that has earned the trust of physicians and patients alike. You deserve relief from your dry eye symptoms, and your eyes deserve extra.

Find Refresh online or in the Eyedrops section at all major retailers. FSA and HSA eligible. This message comes from Greenlight. Ready to start talking to your kids about financial literacy? Meet Greenlight, the debit card and money app that teaches kids and teens how to earn, save, spend wisely, and invest with your guard rails in place. With Greenlight, you can send money to kids quickly, set up chores, automate allowance, and keep an eye on what your kids are spending with real-time notifications. Join millions of parents and kids building healthy financial habits together on Greenlight. Get started risk-free at greenlight.com slash iHeart. So you want to start a business. You might think you need a team of people and fancy tech skills, but you don't.

You just need GoDaddy Aero. I'm Walton Goggins, and as an actor, I'm an expert in looking like I know what I'm doing, even when I don't. And I like the sound of starting my own business, Walton Goggins Goggle Glasses. But I'm an actor. I don't know what I'm doing.

I needed help. GoDaddy Aero uses AI to create everything you need to grow a business. It'll make you a unique logo. It'll create a custom website. It'll write social posts for you and even set you up with a social media calendar.

I don't even realize I needed a social media calendar. GoDaddy Aero will take your idea that sounds good and make a business that looks like you know what you're doing. GoDaddy Aero can get your business up and running in minutes. You know what that sounds like? It sounds like a plan. Get started at godaddy.com slash Aero.

That's godaddy.com slash A-I-R-O. Hi, it's Jenny Garth. We all know the importance of taking care of our physical and mental health, but what about our sexual health? I've been there feeling totally stuck when it comes to my libido. That's why I started taking Addie.

And let me tell you, I've seen firsthand what a difference it can make in how you feel. Addie is the only FDA approved pill clinically proven to help certain premenopausal women have more interest in sex, have more satisfying sex, and lower the stress from low libido. Addie has helped hundreds of thousands of women get their drive back, including me. Talk to your doctor or visit ADDYI.com to learn more about Addie. The little pink pill.

Individual results may vary. Addie or flibanserin is for premenopausal women with acquired generalized hypoactive sexual desire disorder, HSDD, who have not had problems with low sexual desire in the past, who have had low sexual desire no matter the type of sexual activity, the situation, or the sexual partner. This low sexual desire is troubling to them and is not due to a medical or mental health problem, problems in the relationship, or medicine, or other drug use. Addie is not for use in children, men, or to enhance sexual performance. Your risk of severe low blood pressure and fainting is increased if you drink one to two standard alcoholic drinks close in time to your Addie dose. Wait at least two hours after drinking before taking Addie at bedtime. This risk increases if you take certain prescriptions, OTC, or herbal medications, or have liver problems, and can happen when you take Addie without alcohol or other medicines. Do not take if you're allergic to any of Addie's ingredients. Allergic reaction may include hives, itching, or trouble breathing. Sometimes serious sleepiness can occur.

Common side effects include dizziness, nausea, tiredness, difficulty falling asleep or staying asleep, and dry mouth. See full PI and medication guide, including boxed warning at Addie.com slash PI. Addie.

Visit ADDYI.com to learn more about Addie. And we continue with our American stories and the story of the Berlin Airlift, how it came to be, how it happened. And the man on the ground then, who's now telling us the story, is Colonel Gale Halvorsen.

Let's continue where Gale last left off. After the first drop, let's see, it was about three weeks later when I got called in and chewed out because I didn't have permission like Colonel Hahn, and it was about that long ago. And then they said, it's okay, but you got to report down to Frankfurt, to the press center at Frankfurt. They want to know all about this news release that came out. So it was then I knew that boy, something really, somebody really thought this was a crazy idea. So I went in and all the news, all the news agencies, of course, were covering the Berlin Airlift. So they were all there in this big press center in Frankfurt. And I was pretty humbled. The first Lieutenant guy had a chauffeur and a driver and took me into Frankfurt in a hurry. And all these guys waiting for me, wow, what have I got?

What happened? Then I knew. And then I was crazy. Everybody was talking about it. When the word got out, we came back from Berlin to the beds, and there'd be boxes of chocolate bars, gum.

The guys give the ration. And we figured that overall, we must have dropped about 250,000 parachutes during the course of the blockade. We were able to drop. My buddies dropped after I left. They kept dropping and dropped until the end of September 1949.

So it went on that long. What happened is that the American Confectioners Association that represents all the candy makers in America got ahold of me when I was in New York in September 1948 to pick up an airplane. General Turner had me stay for a week in New York and appear on the early television program, We the People, and a number of radio talk shows to inform people about what the airlift was like and my operation. And the representative of the American Confectioners Association said, how much of this stuff can you use? And I gave him some ridiculous number. And later they sent 6,000 pounds of chocolate bars by boat and by rail through Bremerhaven down to Rhine Mine. I came back from Berlin one day, and an officer met me there with a jeep and said, come with me.

And he said, I'll show you. Went over the railway spur on Rhine Mine, and there was a boxcar with an armed guard. And I said, what's in the boxcar?

He says, chocolate bars. And it was two shipments of one 3,000 pounds, one 3,500 pounds of chocolate bars. And we couldn't drop that much because we couldn't tie up the parachutes.

We were too busy. And so we decided to have a Christmas party in Berlin with that. And we got that about the middle of December 1948, those shipments. And we unloaded, put it in the supply building where somebody's there all the time to guard it. Because boy, that was enough chocolate to buy King Ludwig's castle in the black market.

It's an incredible value. And so we accumulated all of it before Christmas. And on the 24th of December 1948, the German Youth Association in Berlin, the youth of West Berlin, and the military teamed up and had Christmas parties for the kids all over West Berlin for that amount. But from then on, they said, we can't handle it this way. If we had it ready to drop, then we could drop it all over the city as we came in.

And so they said, okay. I don't know how they found it, but Elms Junior College in Chickapea, Massachusetts, and Mrs. O'Connor said, we'll handle that project for him. Just send all the candy to us and we'll tie up the parachutes, put it in boxes ready to drop and ship it. In Chickapea, Mass, they had a fire station, an old fire station that they knew. And so the city gave it to them. They had a big sign up from Operation Little Vittles. And 22 schools with alternate tying up parachutes. And sailboat companies donated old sail cloth. They have cut it up parachutes about the size of Man's Hanks, just a little bigger. And the twine companies gave them all the twine.

The cardboard companies gave them all the cardboard. They had processed 18 tons through that facility by January 1949. And Westover Air Force Base was right next to Chickapea, Mass. It is one of the big transport bases that supported Rhine Mine. And there's airplanes going back and forth all the time. And so I had all my squadron over there organized so that we had a map of Berlin with pins and a map on the best places to drop through the cloud when it was cloudy.

We knew where the homing beacons were around the city for navigation. And so we knew where the biggest playgrounds or where the children most likely congregated. So we'd bring that those boxes in and the pilot would take them out. And we quit dropping on in by the end of the runway because the crowd was got too big and concentrated area and I was afraid the kids getting hurt.

Bigger guys running over them for this stuff. And so we started dropping randomly all over the city. So when we come over different parts of the city where we wanted to drop why the crew chief would go back and just check this cut the top of the cardboard box and just chuck it up against the escape hatch and the stuff would come out like popcorn and just blow all over the place and scatter all over the countryside. We drop it from the thousand feet to two thousand feet and they just go all over.

I've got letters from kids that would see it. One one man in 1998 we flew the I'm still flying the Berlin airlift flying museum the spirit of freedom the Berlin airlift historical foundation airplane and we make parachute drops out of it a lot we go to air shows all over the country. In 1998 we flew it across the North Atlantic back to Europe. 69 days in Europe air shows and air drops in Great Britain France Luxembourg and Berlin twice. And in Berlin when the people would come through the airplane you could tell immediately those who were there during the blockade. They were very emotional about telling you thanks for our freedom and with moist eyes they'd tell you how much it meant to them. And you've been listening to Colonel Gale Halverson tell the story of the Berlin airlift after that first drop of his the one where he didn't ask for permission. Well just a few weeks later he was hauled in as he put it and chewed out but soon thereafter he found himself in Frankfurt in a big press conference. He'd stumbled onto something.

By the way this old adage that my dad taught me a military adage better to ask for forgiveness than permission. And boy is it no better evidence of that than right here. And my goodness starting the drop in one place created problems everybody started to gather. Then the next thing you know Halverson was worried that young kids would get trampled by the starving big kids. So then the drop started to get scattered all over Germany. And from 1 to 2,000 feet can you imagine being starving and waiting for stuff to come out of the sky from American planes that had bombed you only well just years before.

It's remarkable actually. When we come back more of the story of the Berlin airlift here on Our American Stories. And we continue with Our American Stories and with Colonel Gail Halverson who was there and who in essence sort of got the thing rolling the idea of the Berlin airlift.

Let's return where Gail last left off. But one of the men that came through is 60 years old and said to me 50 years ago I was a boy 10 going to school and the clouds were very low and raining and I knew you're using radar to land because I couldn't see any airplanes. And suddenly out of this cloud came a parachute with a fresh Hershey candy bar and landed right at my feet and took me a week to eat it. He said that's astounded.

I hit it day and night and he said it's not the chocolate was important. What's important was that somebody in America knew I was in trouble. Somebody cared. He said I can live on thin rations but not without hope.

Without hope the soul dies he said. And one little boy was going to school suddenly here come a bunch of parachutes it wasn't that bad of weather before and they're picking them up but he was out of the group of ways and he saw that one land in the duck pond and he went in the duck pond after it. He got all mucky with duck stuff and everything else. He got the parachute and the chocolate bar and they went on to the school wasn't very far from it. They caught him headmaster. So I went what are you doing coming to school all muddy and all messed up and he showing the thing and the guy says oh that's all right that's all right that's okay.

And so he yeah I think he had the same home to change his clothes but that was it was exciting for him that they never knew where it was going to be. The East Berlin kids wrote to me and said look we can't help with where they put the border. We're over here with these Russians. We like the Americans and we're getting some of that stuff. We come over to West Berlin and we're catching it and we'd like to have you drop it over East Berlin.

There's not so many people over here. It'd be a lot better for us and so I said why not. So I did and it'd be fun. There are some soccer fields in our pattern as we'd go around East Berlin and when they'd be playing soccer that's what I liked the best because we'd save the candy and we got over the kids playing soccer in East Berlin and kick it out and the soccer ball would go one direction the kids would chase the ball the parachutes going somewhere else.

Break up the soccer game but that was fun to watch it that we'd bank the airplane and get a look at what's going on. So I had to quit because in East Berlin because the Soviets complained to the State Department that's a dirty capitalist trick. We're trying to influence the minds of the young people against us the Soviets by giving them chocolate and they said the CIA operation this government operation has got to stop was never a government operation and so I came back from Berlin one day and this officer met the airplane and says what are you doing over East Berlin and then I knew I was in trouble. He said well you got to stop he told me why. Lots of people in East Berlin that I've met that caught parachutes asked me why I quit.

That's politics not people politics is a problem. It gets addictive. It's the only drug I've ever addicted to. The smile on the kid's face when he got something unexpected. I didn't think I did anything special. I just gave kids two sticks of gum. I just keep thinking it's just two sticks of gum. That's all it is. And whatever is made of it somebody else. It's not what I'm doing.

I didn't. Whenever you think that you you're causing all the good things to happen boy you're in deep trouble. I mean from then on you're off the path of life. If you don't give credit for the good Lord of what what he's made available to us and what other people do for you then you just as well say hey buddy I'm not a contributor to society anymore I'm a millstone on the system.

I think the airlift was to me it was a reinforcement of the things my church taught me all my life and my family taught me. Basically money is not the answer to happiness. The more you get the more you want.

And there's just no answer. An open-ended chase for the for the fountain of youth that the only way the real fulfillment is serving others. Service before self. That's one of the Air Force core values. Service before self. And that's what the Savior taught. This is life.

If you want happiness serve others. The Dead Sea is dead because it takes in all the good ideas of fresh water and gives out nothing. So it's dead. And people are that way. They say give me give me all the time and give not of themselves. They're dead sea souls. And that was demonstrated in the space. 31 well Jesus Christ said greater love than this hath no man he lay down his life for a friend and 31 of the buddies gave their lives for an enemy.

Germans that became a friend. Why? Because the service the reward you get you can't buy by helping somebody especially having somebody need an enemy is the epitome. If you're able to do that well that's the ultimate if you're able to forgive and and to serve an enemy. So service before self.

That was the perfect demonstration absolute perfect demonstration. And that indicates what my parents and my church taught me. Now the other thing is the little decisions you make in life are important.

Extremely important. More important the big decisions because they put your footsteps in your mindset on a path that leads you to your final destination your final position. And you're down that path where you're not going to return when the big decision comes. That little decision for two sticks of gum and the whole world changed for me for two sticks of gum that's about as small as you can get.

Where does the little decision come from? Well we get an impression everybody's got a conscience the spirit we believe every certain person has and the conscience and you got a trigger and it tells you very subtly what you ought to do then you argue with it and do something different and then you miss out on on the good things in life. The gratitude to break down the wall between people when you when you're grateful for something and don't think that you've invented the world by yourself and everything that happens to you is because of how smart you are and give credit to nobody else.

Boy you're you're in the dead seat getting the dead seat again. But gratitude by stopping and telling the lady mopping the floor in the office building on the way out that boy you're doing a good job and sure make this place look better. If you can see that then see grateful back and that that job is getting better next time. And the other the other thing I guess too is attitude. 90 percent of the things that happen to us including the airlift we can do something about we can hate the enemy and be mad all the time or we can get on with it and enough to to get the reinforcement to find out that we're doing something worthwhile. But the attitude determines success or failure in the family in the home or in the nation of the community the attitude how you approach things. 90 percent of the things I think that happen to us we can determine how we feel.

We have control of that one string on their violin that how we react. That's attitude and 10 percent we can't. As we said there's God grant me the serenity to accept the things I can't change that 10 percent that you can't change and the courage to change the things I can and the wisdom to tell the difference. So attitude attitude is boy it's about everything and the airlift had all that airlift had all of them attitude gratitude service before self and integrity all those things were factored in this year list to me. And a great job on the storytelling and production by Greg Hengler and a special thanks to Colonel Gail Halverson who celebrated his 101st birthday recently and thanks to the National Archives for the interview and the Truman Presidential Library. There's also a wonderful children's book Christmas from Heaven the true story of the Berlin candy bomber with Tom Brokaw narrating the story in the book's accompanying DVD. My goodness how rich to bump into a beneficiary of the Berlin airlift decades later and have a grown man say it wasn't the chocolate that was important it was the sense that someone out there cared. A person can survive thin rations one can't survive without hope and my goodness 2.3 million tons of supplies were dropped in the Berlin airlift 2.3 million tons it was called operation vittles and took place over an 18-month period and I simply love what Halverson said at the end the Berlin airlift reinforced many of the things my church taught me and my family money is not the answer real fulfillment comes from serving others service before self it's what our savior taught us. Colonel Gail Halverson's story the Berlin airlift story and a story of so much more including the American spirit and American generosity by the way we did this with the British as well our compatriots across the sea here on our American stories we finally switched to t-mobile because with them we can be connected here and there. Dad the cousins in Mexico have a surprise for you and enjoy the gift of staying connected switch and start saving today get four Samsung Galaxy S25 phones with Galaxy AI on us and four lines for just 25 bucks per line plus non-stop talk text and data between US and Mexico visit a store t-mobile.com or call 1-800-T-Mobile 1-800-T-Mobile see details at t-mobile.com. Traveling is one of life's greatest joys honestly can anything be more exhilarating well actually yeah with Chase Sapphire Reserve it's your gateway to the world's most captivating destinations first you'll earn three times points for travel and dining and the card gets you into the sapphire lounge by the club at select airports nationwide and access to one of a kind experiences whether you're booking a once-in-a-lifetime trip or your next weekend escape discover more with Chase Sapphire Reserve at chase.com slash sapphire reserve cards issued by JP Morgan Chase Bank NA member FDIC subject to credit approval terms apply. Hey Janice Torres here and I'm Austin Hankiewicz we're the hosts of Mind the Business Small Business Success Stories produced by Ruby Studio and Intuit QuickBooks catch up on seasons one and two and join us for a brand new season of the podcast as we talk to small business owners about how they manage and grow their businesses with the help of platforms like Intuit QuickBooks listen to Mind the Business Small Business Success Stories on the iHeartRadio app Apple Podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts you have a long list of things to deal with check dry eye symptoms off with refresh reliever pf extra lubricant eye drops offering an advanced formula to soothe and hydrate your dry eyes refresh reliever pf extra includes moisture locking technology that prevents further irritation and gives you lasting relief you deserve relief from your dry eye symptoms and your eyes deserve extra find refresh online or in the eye drop section at all major retailers fsa and hsa eligible does friendly have a taste if it does it's probably like hello's peppermint flavored anti-plaque and whitening toothpaste brush away plaque show tartar who's boss and remove surface stains to naturally whiten hello's thoughtful and flavor forward products make brushing your teeth feel like a confetti filled bathroom dance party so say hello to hello with the always cruelty free never tested on animals toothpaste that's made to spread smiles visit hello products dot com and let hello add some everyday yay into your life this is an iHeart podcast

Get The Truth Mobile App and Listen to your Favorite Station Anytime