This is the third and final post in a series I've done in collaboration with MSN. As you might know, MSN has launched some brand spankin new services and products that allow us to know things faster than ever before (4x faster than other sites). These days, it's both awesome and overwhelming how fast and accessible we can attain information. I wanted to slow it down a bit here on Lars for this series and celebrate those who capture the essence of what I think MSN is going for with their new "Know. Now" campaign, which includes three statements that I have highlighted. April was Fay who "consumed culture" and May was Bonnie who showed us that, "smart is beautiful". This month it is Gail Halvorsen who lives up to the phrase "drop knowledge bombs." Almost literally.
When I first started thinking about how I would approach this project, I chatted with my friend, Michele, who told me about The Candy Bomber, who apparently lived somewhere in the area. The Candy Bomber, she explained, dropped candy over Berlin to the kids from his fighter pilot during the Berlin Airlift. As you can imagine, I was all ears.
I went on a search trying to find The Candy Bomber. A quick Google search told me his name was Gail Halvorsen, and that he was a command pilot in the Air Force. But how to find him now? Knock on every door? As a dutiful blogger, I did try that technique and a few others. Eventually I did find him, but he just so happened to be in his Arizona home where he lives for part of the year with his wife, Alta. I was pleasantly surprised when he responded immediately to my email and said he was on his way to Orange County to receive an honorary degree, and then off to Berlin for a few weeks to be the featured guest at the 65th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift. Have I mentioned that he's now 92?
You might wonder, as I still do, how Colonel Halvorsen stays so energetic. In our email correspondence, he explained, "You can't slow down or else you get hit by a truck". Of course!
So, here's how the story goes according our phone call: Colonel Halvorsen started giving candy to some of the German kids watching the planes land and take off at Tempelhof base in Berlin during the Berlin Airlift of 1947-48 (read more about that bit of history here). Wanting to give even more to the kids, he promised to drop some the next day from his plane. Since the children couldn't distinguish his plane from the others, he then promised to wiggle the wings of the plane. After multiple candy drops, he same became known as Uncle Wiggly Wings, or Onkel Wackelflügel, a nickname he proudly holds today.
Are you smiling yet?
Colonel Halvorsen, and soon, others, would make parachutes out of scarves and drop pieces of gum and candy bars. Soon, they caught the attention of candy companies who started donating candy to the cause. Overall, they dropped 23 tons of candy over 14 months. When asked why he did it he said, "We had been given our freedom, and the least we could do to make these children smile was to give them some candy." He later went on to say that it wasn't the candy that was important, "what was important was knowing that someone from America cared. It was a symbol of hope."
Colonel Halvorsen is in Berlin as we speak at the Berlin Airlift Memorial on the former Rhein-Main Air Base, to remember the most ambitious humanitarian airlift operation in history. The event was also attended by President Obama, who said, "We couldn't be prouder of him."
I can't think of a better way to celebrate our Independence Day than pay tribute to someone who spent a portion of their life providing for our independence and others. Thank you, Gail Halvorsen.This post was done in collaboration with the new, faster MSN that keeps you in the know. It has unparalleled speed and coverage, is perfect for touch, and is available on mobile. Experience it for yourself at MSN.com.
Photography by Kate Edmonson at Halvorsen's home in Arizona
