Candy Bomber Gail Halvorsen Dead At 101

Famed Berlin Airlift “Candy Bomber” pilot Col. Gail S. Halvorsen passed away on Wednesday at the age of 101. Halvorsen was known for dropping candy via handkerchief parachutes from his C-54 to the children of Berlin during the Soviet Union’s blockade of the city in 1948-1949. Although begun without official authorization, his actions opened the door for “Operation Little Vittles,” which dropped over 23 tons of candy over Berlin between September 1948 and May 1949.

“It is with a heavy heart that we bid farewell to our friend, Col. Gail Seymour Halvorsen, known to the world as The Berlin Candy Bomber, Uncle Wiggly Wings, the Chocolate Pilot and many other well earned terms of endearment,” the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation wrote. “The impact and legacy he leaves behind is immeasurable, not only on his friends and family, but on the entire world.”

Halvorsen was born on Oct. 10, 1920, in Salt Lake City, Utah, and earned his private pilot certificate in 1941. He joined the U.S. Army Air Forces in May 1942, serving 31 years and logging more than 8,000 flight hours before his retirement in 1974. Halvorsen’s military service included working at the Air Force Space Systems Division on programs including the Titan III launch vehicle, commanding the 6596th Instrumentation Squadron of the AF Systems Command Satellite Control Facility and commanding the 7350th Air Base Group at Berlin’s Tempelhof Central Airport. Among his many military and civilian decorations, Halverson was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany, the Cheney Award, the Legion of Merit and the Congressional Gold Medal.