Courtesy Photo | Col. Gail Halvorsen, known as the Berlin Airlift "Candy Bomber," shares words of...... read more read more
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SOUTHWEST ASIA -- Retired Col. Gail Halvorsen, the Berlin Airlift “Candy Bomber,“ left lasting personal impressions with service members during a visit to Germany and Southwest Asia during the week of Oct. 25.
For example, during the 21-hour return flight from Southwest Asia, the 90-year-old jumped up in a DV lounge and said, “I’m gonna’ go hang out with the guys.” He listened to what it was like to maintain vehicles for convoys in Mosul and how social media connected one young man to a long-lost sister while he was deployed.
They didn’t find out who he was unless they asked. That wasn’t important to him. What mattered was showing them he cared and that they were appreciated.
After visiting Al Udeid Air Base, he praised the fact that Mobility airmen get approximately 970 trucks off the road per week through airdop missions — making IED-planners angry. He said it was incredible that refuelers unloaded around 8 million tons of fuel last week in the CENTCOM area of responsibility.
But most of all, Halvorsen said he admired the enthusiasm and dedication that he saw in the desert and how service members are willing to sacrifice time away from those they love for the cause of freedom.
He encouraged airmen to “take the long-term view.”
“This is a terribly, terribly important mission,” he said. “[You’re helping to] get the threat where it’s at and not just letting it loose and turning your back on it. We just can’t afford to crawl under the bed and hope all is well.”
Sacrificing for higher principles and putting service before self is what makes people happy when they look back on their lives, he said. Not money.
“You have to get outside of yourself,” Halvorsen said to hundreds of airmen and soldiers during his visit. “If you just live for yourself, you’ll become a ‘Dead Sea’ soul — wrapping yourself around fresh water and not letting anything out in return.”
The colonel encouraged attentive listeners throughout the week to appreciate those around them, because expressing appreciation “breaks down walls.”
The way the living legend interacted with those whom he met during the trip this week set the example. People dropped what they were doing to bask in his appreciation and hear his wisdom.
“Quite simply, Halvorsen is a national treasure and his approach to living life fully and of continued service is an inspiration to us all,” said 379th Air Expeditionary Wing Commander Brig. Gen. Randy Kee in an Oct. 22 article.
| Date Taken: | 10.25.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 10.25.2010 12:18 |
| Story ID: | 58771 |
| Location: | (UNDISCLOSED LOCATION) |
| Web Views: | 76 |
| Downloads: | 6 |
This work, Berlin Airlift legend to troops: Appreciation breaks down walls, by Capt. Kathleen Ferrero, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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