May 2013 Book of the Moth: The Berlin Candy Bomber by Gail S. Halvorsen

The BerlinBrigade.com May 2013 Book of the Moth: The Berlin Candy Bomber by Gail S. Halvorsen

Celebrating the end of the Berlin Blockade on May 12, 1949, the BerlinBrigade.com Book of the Month for May 2013 is The Berlin Candy Bomber by Gail S. Halvorsen.


Read the story of the Col. Halvorsen's journey to and from Berlin during one of the hottest times during the Cold War.

From the publisher: "The Berlin Candy Bomber is a love story-how two sticks of gum and one man's kindness to the children of a vanquished enemy grew into an epic of goodwill spanning the globe-touching the hearts of millions in both Germany and America.

In June 1948, Russia laid siege to Berlin, cutting off the flow of food and supplies over highways into the city. More than two million people faced economic collapse and starvation. The Americans, English, and French began a massive airlift to bring sustenance to the city and to thwart the Russian siege.

Gail Halvorsen was one of hundreds of U.S. pilots involved in the airlift. While in Berlin, he met a group of children standing by the airport watching the incoming planes. Though they hadn't asked for candy, he was impressed to share with them the two sticks of gum he had in his possession. Seeing how thrilled they were by this gesture, he promised to drop more candy to them the next time he flew to the area.

True to his word, as he flew in the next day, he wiggled the wings of his plane to identify himself, then dropped several small bundles of candy using parachutes crafted from handkerchiefs to slow their fall. Local newspapers picked up the story. Suddenly, letters addressed to "Uncle Wiggly Wings" began to arrive as the children requested candy drops in other areas of the city.

Enthusiasm spread to America, and candy contributions came from all across the country. Within weeks candy manufacturers began donating candy by the boxcar.

In May 1949, the highway blockade ended, and the airlift ended in September. But the story of Uncle Wiggly Wings and the candy-filled parachutes lives on-a symbol of human charity."



You can order your copy of "The Berlin Candy Bomber" from Amazon.com

What Happens Tomorrow

"Nobody knows what's going to happen tomorrow" is what the song says.

When all of us woke up on the morning of Monday, April 15, 2013 no one knew just how much the world was going to change by sunset. The Boston Marathon Bombings brought the world of terrorism back to American soil and right smack onto our television sets as tonight's leading story.

While the two suspects are off the streets (one dead, one captured) their motives are yet to be fully revealed as well as what their ultimate plan was.  Maybe we'll know one day soon. In the meantime, we have to keep moving forward. 

As we move forward, there is something to always remember and never forget: Never Let Your Guard Down. Evil is everywhere because it very seldom hides in the shadows.

Those two jokers, in Boston, were living in plain sight when they decided that their agenda was more important than the lives of the people they lived among. Their logic escapes me as it did in April of 1986 when Libyan backed terrorists bombed the LaBelle Disco in West Berlin and as it escaped me after Pan Am flight 103 blew up over Lockerbie, Scotland, UK by Libyan backed terrorists. Logic most certainly escaped me on September 11, 2001 as well as in London and Madrid and every place else that individuals decide that terror is their only choice when it comes trying to create change.

Ghandi made change happen. King made change happen. The people of East Germany in the summer and fall of 1989 made change happen as did the people through out Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union. These were welcomed changes.

Terrorism in the name of someone's perception of religion is NEVER a good change. Terrorism in any form is never a good thing.

However, it is an unfortunate byproduct of the world we live in today. Therefore, it is up to each and every one of us to stay vigilant and know that we are in this together and together is how we will get out of it. 

Stay Safe and Stay Alert

Goodbye To The Iron Lady

Yesterday, Monday, April 8, 2013, here in the United States it was just after daybreak that we received the news that Baroness Margaret Thatcher had passed away. She was 87 years of age. She was the former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom ('79 - '90).

She was the "Iron Lady" to her nation and to the world. She led her nation during some of the most illustrious times in our world's history; the Cold War. Then again, she also led her nation through some rough economic, political, and civil times and still managed to come out on top.

 To me she was one of the symbols of the Cold War. Though I never met the former Prime Minister, I did get a chance to work in direct contact with the Soldiers and Officers that were members of the British Forces in Berlin when I was based in Berlin. I remember those Soldiers spoke very highly of their Prime Minister.

For the most part, I do not recall a time that I ever heard a Brit talk bad about the leader of their nation on the contrary they were full of praise for their leader. I recall that for the most part they were not happy with their pay or their government food rations, then again ALL soldiers complain about their pay and that which is attempted to be passed off as military food. However, it says a lot about a nation and the soldiers that protect that nation when they completely believe in and stand firmly behind their leaders and the leadership they instill in those they lead.

Then again, it comes as no surprise because of her uncompromising politics and leadership style the nickname "Iron Lady" given to her by a Soviet reporter stuck with her till her last day and beyond.

Baroness Margaret Thatcher will always stand among the great World Leaders of all time.

Requiescat In Pace


(image courtesy of wikipedia.org)

April 2013 Book of the Month: Lucius D. Clay: An American Life by Jean Edward Smith

In honor of his April 23rd birthday, the BerlinBrigade.ocm April 2013 Book of the Month is "Lucius D. Clay: An American Life" by Jean Edward Smith.

An American Life takes you through early childhood of Lucius D. Clay to his time at the US Military Academy at West Point all the way through his time as Military Governor of Germany. It also covers the story behind his crowning achievement as the architect of the Berlin Airlift (1948-1949) when the USSR blockaded the western sectors of the city of Berlin, Germany.

You can tell that Jean Edward Smith, author, spent much time meticulously researching the life and times of General Lucius D. Clay. Smith not only goes beyond the raw data that is anyone's life, he goes into such detail that the reader can't help but feel to be a fly on the wall that is witnessing the life of General Clay unfold.


You can order your copy of "Lucius D. Clay: An American Life" from Amazon.com