News United States Air Force
 C-17 Globemaster III dedicated in honor of ‘Candy Bomber,’ Berlin AirliftPublished May 21, 2022
                        
                        
                        Air Mobility Command Public Affairs
                **PROVO, Utah (AFNS) --**
                Kicking off a two-day celebration honoring the life and legacy of**Col. Gail Halvorsen****,** the “Candy Bomber,” the**Air Mobility Command** **commander**joined friends, family and guests in Provo, May 20, to dedicate a**Joint Base Charleston**-based**C-17 Globemaster III**as the “Spirit of the Candy Bomber.”

Beloved by Germans and Americans alike, Halvorsen was known for**dropping candy**via mini-parachutes from his **C-54****Skymaster** to German children during the Berlin Airlift from 1948 to 1949. Halvorsen died **Feb. 16**, at the age of 101, after a **lifetime of service** and inspiring the generations that followed behind him.

**Gen. Mike Minihan**, AMC commander, reflected on Halvorsen’s act of kindness and how it inspired an AMC tradition of delivering hope ... always.U.S. Air Force Gen Mike Minihan, Air Mobility Command commander, speaks before unveiling the C-17 Globemaster III  that was renamed to "Spirit of the Candy Bomber" in Provo, Utah, May 20, 2022.Gen. Mike Minihan, Air Mobility Command commander, speaks before unveiling the C-17 Globemaster III that was renamed to "Spirit of the Candy Bomber" in Provo, Utah, May 20, 2022. Halvorsen went down in history for his selfless acts during the Berlin Airlift in 1948 and 1949. Then-Lt. Halvorsen took it upon himself to help boost the morale of the children in West Berlin by attaching handkerchief parachutes to chocolate bars and dropping them from his aircraft to the children below. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech Sgt. Zachary Boyer)
            
            
            Photo Details /
                Download Hi-Res
    
    U.S. Air Force Gen Mike Minihan, Air Mobility Command commander, stand with the crew of the C-17 Globemaster III  that was renamed to "Spirit of the Candy Bomber" in Provo, Utah, May 20, 2022.Gen. Mike Minihan, Air Mobility Command commander, along with Col. Gail Halvorsen's family members, unveil the renaming of a C-17 Globemaster III to "Spirit of the Candy Bomber" in Provo, Utah, May 20, 2022. Halvorsen went down in history for his selfless acts during the Berlin Airlift in 1948 and 1949. Then-Lt. Halvorsen took it upon himself to help boost the morale of the children in West Berlin by attaching handkerchief parachutes to chocolate bars and dropping them from his aircraft to the children below. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech Sgt. Zachary Boyer)
            
            
            Photo Details /
                Download Hi-Res
    
    U.S. Air Force Gen Mike Minihan, Air Mobility Command commander, stand with the crew of the C-17 Globemaster III  that was renamed to "Spirit of the Candy Bomber" in Provo, Utah, May 20, 2022.Gen. Mike Minihan, commander, Air Mobility Command, stands with the crew of the C-17 Globemaster III that was renamed to "Spirit of the Candy Bomber" in Provo, Utah, May 20, 2022. Kicking off a two-day celebration honoring the life and legacy of Col. Gail Halvorsen, the Candy Bomber, the AMC commander joined friends, family and guests in Provo, Utah, May 20, to dedicate a Joint Base Charleston-based C-17 Globemaster III as the “Spirit of the Candy Bomber.” (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech Sgt. Zachary Boyer)
            
            
            Photo Details /
                Download Hi-Res“It’s an honor of a lifetime representing the men and women of the United States Air Force and the Air Mobility Command celebrating the distinguished life and service of an Air Force hero – Uncle Wiggly Wings, the Chocolate Pilot, the Candy Bomber,” Minihan said. “This C-17, the Spirit of the Candy Bomber, serves as a small token of our larger inheritance from Colonel Halvorsen and will transport Halvorsen’s example around the world, the standard bearer for the power of the humanitarian mission he began, and it will spread Halvorsen’s undying influence ensuring the spirit of the Candy Bomber will live on in the Mobility world, in the Air Force and in the American spirit forever.”

The event also served as an opportunity to celebrate a United States Air Force hero during the service’s**75th year**. The**Berlin Airlift**, also known as Operation Vittles, was the first major operation the independent service participated in, delivering more than 2.3 million tons of food and fuel to Berlin. Operation Little Vittles, conceived and led by Halvorsen, also delivered 46,000 pounds of candy to children on the ground.

“He took the ultimate high ground in a year where we celebrate the 75th year of an independent Air Force that he helped shape from the very beginning,” Minihan said. “An Air Force based on the premise that air power is a force all its own and he brought that premise to life, setting the standard of humanitarian operations we measure ourselves against to this very day. He harnessed the best of the American spirit and shined a beacon of light into the darkness of despair behind the Iron Curtain. He showed us that doing the right things that can change the world and touched the lives of generations. He planted the seeds of friendship and alliance that continue to bear fruit today.”

The following day, the Spirit of the Candy Bomber joined a C-54Skymaster, the Spirit of Freedom, as the celebration moved to Spanish Fork Airport in Provo. The event included STEM events for children, a preview of the future Gail S. Halvorsen Aviation Education Center and performances by the **Band of the Golden West**.

**The event** concluded with a **spectacular flyover** by the Spirit of the Candy Bomber joined by the Spirt of Freedom with the C-54 dropping parachutes and candy to the crowd below.

The Spirit of the Candy Bomber has provided aid and assistance for several humanitarian operations including the ongoing Ukraine Security Assistance missions, last year’s Afghanistan non-combatant evacuation, Hurricane Florence in 2018, Hurricane Matthew in 2016, and Operation United Assistance during the 2014 Ebola outbreak in West Africa.

Notably, during the Afghanistan NEO, The Spirit of the Candy Bomber flew 18 missions, including evacuating 232 U.S. citizens, allied partners and Afghan civilians in the first 48 hours after Kabul fell to the Taliban in August 2021. The aircrew, who were recently awarded the**Distinguished Flying Cross**, was immediately forced to assess the heightened risk and adapt to updated orders to evacuate as many people as possible to safety.

“We saw the same great influence in the Afghanistan evacuation this last August, 124,000 Americans and Afghan partners, 17 days, one runway, all by air,” Minihan continued. “Airmen risking their safety making incredibly tough decisions on the fly to deliver new hope and a chance at the American dream for people they didn’t even know and for generations to come. Just like Colonel Halvorsen.”

Watch a special production of the event by the 2nd Audiovisual Squadron**here**. *Editor's Note: (Video begins at 05:37)*FS 



USAF 



AF 



Air Force 



C-17 



Candy Bomber 



Berlin Airlift 



Col. Gail Halvorsen 



Air Mobility Command 



AMC 



Provo 



Joint Base Charleston 



JBC 



Uncle Wiggly Wings 



Chocolate Pilot 



Spirt of the Candy Bomber 



spirit of the candy bomber 



Gen. Mike Minihan 



Spirit of Freedom Related Links
        Honoring a war hero who delivered hope