World War II-Era 'Candy Bomber' to Make Special Drop at Dixie State University in Southern Utah
ST. GEORGE, Utah, July 1, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- In a tribute to freedom and American values, Air Force Colonel (retired) Gail S. Halvorsen will re-live his role as the Candy Bomber for a historic candy drop and flyover at Greater Zion Stadium on the Dixie State University campus in St. George, Utah.
Part of the southwest Utah city's Patriotic Tribute to America celebration, sponsored by the nonprofit foundation United We Pledge, Halvorsen's appearance is slated to take place at 6 p.m. on Saturday, July 3, and will pay tribute to the 100-year-old World War II hero and other local veterans.
Halvorsen became known as the Candy Bomber in the 1940s after dropping sweet treats from his aircraft to children in Berlin amid the devastation left behind from the war. While flying missions as part of the Berlin Airlift to deliver food, water and medicine to residents of the besieged city, Halvorsen was one of the pilots landing every 13 minutes to help nearly 2 million starving Germans from July 1948 to September 1949.
While his plane was being unloaded during one of his stops, Halvorsen made his way over to a group of children behind a barbed wire fence. Wanting to share something with them, he reached into his pocket and dug out all that he had: two pieces of gum. What followed would affect Halvorsen forever. Demonstrating true generosity and compassion for one another, the children proceeded to split the gum into small pieces to share. The wrappers were then passed around so those who didn't receive a piece of the gum could smell its minty scent off the wrapper.
The children's selfless sacrifice sparked an idea in Halvorsen. Remembering the adage "from small things come great things," which his father often used, Halvorsen asked his fellow servicemen if they'd be interested in sharing their gum and candy rations with the children. Halvorsen soon started tying his peers' contributions to handkerchiefs and dropping the treats to the children below as he flew by and wiggled his wings so the kids could be sure to identify him. This simple gesture of kindness quickly gained traction, and before he knew it, Halvorsen and his friends started receiving donations from candy companies and other groups. Since then, they have shared 23 tons of treats from Bosnia-Herzegovina and Albania to Japan, Guam and Iraq.
This weekend, after dropping candy from a helicopter flying over the Dixie State University campus, Halvorsen will be escorted to the Greater Zion Stadium, where he will be presented the inaugural Gail Halvorsen Lifetime Service Award in recognition of his legacy of kindness and charity. Additionally, nine local veterans will be honored with service awards.
"Halvorsen showed dedication to helping others in need and is a true American hero," said Dennis Leavitt of United We Pledge.
Media Contact:
Jyl Hall
435-652-7547
[email protected]
https://dixie.edu/
SOURCE Dixie State University
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