He died Wednesday in Utah at the age of 101. During the Berlin airlift, he would drop candy to the children. I never met him but he was fairly well known in Utah. My best to his family.
I met him (briefly) 15-20 years ago? He was a kind and gracious men. May he rest in peace.
"I, however, place economy among the first and most important republican virtues, and public debt as the greatest of the dangers to be feared." Thomas Jefferson
Posts: 1568 | Location: Hartford, AL | Registered: April 05, 2007
About 4 years ago, on July 4th, he re-enacted his candy drops by flying in an old WWII plane and dropping candy to kids gathered in a local park. We were there and it was kind of cool to see.
RIP Colonel Halvorsen
Ladies and gentlemen, take my advice - pull down your pants and slide on the ice. ʘ ͜ʖ ʘ
Posts: 4956 | Location: Highland, UT | Registered: September 14, 2006
I had the opportunity to visit Berlin in the early 90s, and got to tour some of the cold war museums and visit Tempelhof airport. Being into aviation, the airlift fascinated me. A few years ago we had a small airshow at our local airport and they had a C-54 painted up in airlift colors do a fly-in. It was pretty cool to think of what those big rumbling radials must have meant to the citizens of West Berlin, to know that they weren't going to be abandoned and we weren't giving up on them.
Posts: 9835 | Location: In the Cornfields | Registered: May 25, 2006
I met him years ago. Very much the real deal, there was nothing disingenuous about the man. He lived and embodied the golden rule. The man truly saw value in everything, and everyone.
I remember a lot of stories I heard while spending my 9+ years stationed in Germany. The "candy drops" were part of those stories. No question, he will rest in peace!!!
Elk
There has never been an occasion where a people gave up their weapons in the interest of peace that didn't end in their massacre. (Louis L'Amour)
"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical. " -Thomas Jefferson
"America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great." Alexis de Tocqueville
FBHO!!!
The Idaho Elk Hunter
Posts: 25656 | Location: Virginia | Registered: December 16, 2001