Gail Halvorsen Colonel Gail Halvorsen ( born October 10 , 1920 ) is a retired career officer and command pilot in the United States Air Force known as the original Candy Bomber or the " Rosinenbomber " in Germany . He was born in Salt Lake City , Utah . He is best known for piloting C - 47 s and C - 54 s during the Berlin airlift ( also known as " Operation Little Vittles " ) during 1948 – 1949 . Operation Little Vittles . Shortly before landing at the Tempelhof airport in the American sector of Berlin , Halvorsen would drop candy attached to parachutes to children below . This action , which was dubbed Operation Little Vittles and sparked similar efforts by other crews , was the source of the popular name for the pilots : the candy bombers . Halvorsen wanted to help raise the morale of the children during the time of uncertainty and privation . Halvorsen started by giving a few treats to children watching the planes from outside the Tempelhof base . Wanting to give more , he promised to drop more candy from his plane the next day . Because the planes would arrive nearly every three minutes , the children naturally couldn ' t distinguish his aircraft from the others . However , Halvorsen promised to wiggle the wings to identify himself , which led to his nickname " Onkel Wackelflügel " ( " Uncle Wiggly Wings " ) . The other American candy bombers became known as the Rosinenbomber ( Raisin Bombers ) . Halvorsen ' s initiative drew the attention of the operation ' s commanding officer , Lieutenant General William H . Tunner , who approved of it and ordered it expanded into Operation Little Vittles . The operation was soon noticed by the press and gained widespread attention . A wave of public support led to donations which enabled Halvorsen and his crew to drop 850 pounds of candy . By the end of the airlift , around 25 plane crews had dropped 23 tons of chocolate , chewing gum , and other candies over various places in Berlin . The Confectioners Association of America donated large amounts to the effort , and American school children cooperated in attaching the candies to parachutes . Military career . Halvorsen would go on to fill several domestic and overseas assignments during the remainder of his Air Force career . He returned to Germany in the early 1970s , this time as the commander of Tempelhof Air Base in western Berlin . In this role Halvorsen was required to host official parties at his house . Being a devout member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter - day Saints or Mormon , Halvorsen became famous for his non - alcoholic concoctions served at these parties . German - American relations . Halvorsen ' s actions as the original candy bomber had a substantial impact on the postwar perception of Americans in Germany and are still pointed to as a symbol of German - American relations . Halvorsen has appeared many times on German TV over the years , often paired with some of the children , now grown adults , who received his candy parachutes . In 1974 he was decorated with the " Großes Bundesverdienstkreuz " ( Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany ) , one of Germany ' s highest medals . During the opening march for the 2002 Winter Olympics on February 8 , Halvorsen carried the German team ' s national placard into Rice - Eccles Olympic Stadium . In 1989 , Halvorsen engaged in a re - enactment of the actions in Berlin for the fortieth anniversary of the Airlift . During Operation Provide Promise in Bosnia and Herzegovina , he dropped candy from a USAF C - 130 of the 435th Airlift Wing , flying from Rhein - Main Air Base , Germany . Halvorsen also participated in closing ceremonies for Tempelhof Air Base in 1993 and in 50th anniversary celebrations of the Airlift in Berlin in 1998 . In 2004 Halvorsen hoped to launch a similar action for the children of Iraq . The United States military has modeled some of Halvorsen ' s actions in Iraq , dropping toys , teddy bears , and soccer balls to Iraqi children . In 2008 , Halvorsen was honored as Grand Marshal of the German - American Steuben Parade in New York City . He was celebrated by tens of thousands of spectators on Fifth Avenue . Legacy . The US Air Force has helped cement Colonel Halvorsen ' s airlift legacy by naming its next - generation , 25 , 000 - pound capacity aircraft loading vehicle in his honor . The Air Force has also named the award for outstanding air transportation support in the logistics readiness career field the Colonel Gail Halvorsen Award . Colonel Halvorsen ' s son , Robert , was a USAF C - 130 pilot and is currently a captain with Delta Air Lines . Colonel Halvorsen ' s grandson is currently in the Navy as an LDS Chaplain at the Marine Corps Base Camp Pendleton in San Diego , California . The Gail S . Halvorsen Elementary School at Rhein - Main Air Base , Frankfurt , Germany was named in his honor ; Rhein - Main has since closed . On June 15 , 2013 a secondary school in the Berlin suburb of Zehlendorf was named in his honor . Colonel Halvorson was present for the naming of the school . This marked the second time a school in Berlin has been named after a living namesake . Service as LDS missionary . In 1995 , Halvorsen , along with his wife Alta , arrived in St . Petersburg , Russia to serve as missionaries for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter - day Saints . Their duties included training teachers and visiting institute classes , as well as working with church youth groups . Halvorsen and his wife also served as missionaries for the church in London , England in the 1980s .