1 00:00:02,160 --> 00:00:05,760 Speaker 1: And one kid named Peter writes this adorable letter where 2 00:00:05,800 --> 00:00:09,920 Speaker 1: he says, you guys keep dropping parachutes, but they don't 3 00:00:10,000 --> 00:00:12,400 Speaker 1: land near me. I don't know how you guys ever 4 00:00:12,440 --> 00:00:13,000 Speaker 1: won the war. 5 00:00:17,440 --> 00:00:21,000 Speaker 2: Welcome to an army of normal folks. I'm Bill Courtney. 6 00:00:21,560 --> 00:00:25,439 Speaker 2: I'm a normal guy. I'm a husband, a father, an entrepreneur, 7 00:00:25,720 --> 00:00:28,920 Speaker 2: and I've been a football coach in Inner City Memphis. 8 00:00:29,480 --> 00:00:32,440 Speaker 2: That last part somehow led to an oscar for the 9 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:37,360 Speaker 2: film about our team. That movie is called Undefeated. Y'all, 10 00:00:37,640 --> 00:00:40,120 Speaker 2: I believe our country's problems are never going to be 11 00:00:40,240 --> 00:00:43,640 Speaker 2: solved by a bunch of fancy people and nice suits 12 00:00:43,720 --> 00:00:47,080 Speaker 2: talking big words that nobody ever uses on seeing it in 13 00:00:47,040 --> 00:00:51,440 Speaker 2: a fox, but rather by an army of normal folks. 14 00:00:52,120 --> 00:00:56,200 Speaker 2: That's us, just you and me deciding hey, I can help. 15 00:00:56,960 --> 00:01:01,560 Speaker 2: And that's exactly what Gail Halverson did during the Berlin Blockade. 16 00:01:01,880 --> 00:01:07,959 Speaker 2: Gail became lovingly known as the Candy Bomber, even if 17 00:01:07,959 --> 00:01:11,840 Speaker 2: he disappointed young Peter. I cannot wait for you to 18 00:01:11,880 --> 00:01:16,479 Speaker 2: hear his story from Real Heroes author Larry Reid as 19 00:01:16,520 --> 00:01:20,280 Speaker 2: we pay tribute to him for our special series An 20 00:01:20,440 --> 00:01:24,640 Speaker 2: Army of Normal Dead Folks. Right after these brief messages 21 00:01:24,720 --> 00:01:47,920 Speaker 2: from our general sponsors. Okay, two more to discuss Chapter thirty. 22 00:01:48,560 --> 00:01:53,080 Speaker 2: I just love this guy, Gail Halverson Halberson. And yes, 23 00:01:53,640 --> 00:01:58,560 Speaker 2: this dude is the candy bomber. Yep, tell us about him. 24 00:01:58,640 --> 00:02:01,520 Speaker 1: Okay, he just died, by the way, a couple of 25 00:02:01,560 --> 00:02:05,560 Speaker 1: years ago, well over one hundred years of age. He Actually, 26 00:02:05,600 --> 00:02:05,960 Speaker 1: you know. 27 00:02:05,920 --> 00:02:09,280 Speaker 2: All these heroes, if they weren't executed, seemed to have 28 00:02:09,280 --> 00:02:10,359 Speaker 2: had pretty long lives. 29 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:13,560 Speaker 1: Yeah. I think that that may be God's way of saying, 30 00:02:13,720 --> 00:02:15,720 Speaker 1: well done, the good and faithful servant. You get a 31 00:02:15,760 --> 00:02:16,600 Speaker 1: little extra time. 32 00:02:16,800 --> 00:02:17,200 Speaker 2: That's it. 33 00:02:18,440 --> 00:02:21,640 Speaker 1: Well, Gail Halverson, who died just a couple of years ago, 34 00:02:22,160 --> 00:02:26,320 Speaker 1: he'd come down with COVID in twenty twenty, but completely 35 00:02:26,560 --> 00:02:29,280 Speaker 1: at like age one hundred or close to it, completely 36 00:02:29,320 --> 00:02:32,600 Speaker 1: recovered from it a couple of years later. Well, he 37 00:02:32,840 --> 00:02:36,680 Speaker 1: was in the US Air Force after World War II. 38 00:02:37,760 --> 00:02:41,760 Speaker 1: And this may tax the memory of Americans today because 39 00:02:41,800 --> 00:02:47,040 Speaker 1: we kind of forgotten the Berlin Blockade of nineteen forty eight. 40 00:02:47,680 --> 00:02:52,480 Speaker 2: I have not forgotten, our studied that, and it's important 41 00:02:52,520 --> 00:02:53,840 Speaker 2: we don't forget that. Oh. 42 00:02:54,000 --> 00:03:00,320 Speaker 1: Absolutely, it was a horrific time. Think of Germany eighteen 43 00:03:00,360 --> 00:03:06,520 Speaker 1: forty five divided, occupied, demoralized, defeated, devastated. The Soviets have 44 00:03:06,600 --> 00:03:10,239 Speaker 1: a zone not only of Germany, but also a zone 45 00:03:10,360 --> 00:03:14,959 Speaker 1: within the city of Berlin West Berlin. The wall would 46 00:03:15,000 --> 00:03:17,360 Speaker 1: not be built until nineteen sixty one, but there were 47 00:03:17,680 --> 00:03:20,440 Speaker 1: many efforts to keep people apart within the city of 48 00:03:20,480 --> 00:03:21,280 Speaker 1: Berlin itself. 49 00:03:21,600 --> 00:03:23,359 Speaker 2: But correct me if I'm wrong. Even though there wasn't 50 00:03:23,360 --> 00:03:27,840 Speaker 2: a wall, they were separated and guarded by outposts, razor wire, 51 00:03:28,120 --> 00:03:29,320 Speaker 2: chaining fence, all. 52 00:03:29,200 --> 00:03:31,560 Speaker 1: Of that, Yes, but still there was a stream of 53 00:03:31,600 --> 00:03:34,640 Speaker 1: people getting through that and they were losing people like 54 00:03:34,680 --> 00:03:37,680 Speaker 1: you wouldn't believe, from east to west trying to escape. 55 00:03:38,240 --> 00:03:40,400 Speaker 1: That's eventually a reason they put the wall up, because 56 00:03:40,400 --> 00:03:44,800 Speaker 1: they just couldn't keep the human traffic on one side. Well, 57 00:03:45,280 --> 00:03:49,640 Speaker 1: Stalin in the Soviet Union thought that Allied occupation of 58 00:03:49,760 --> 00:03:53,360 Speaker 1: West Berlin was untenable, that he could gobble up all 59 00:03:53,440 --> 00:03:57,560 Speaker 1: of the city of Berlin if he just put on 60 00:03:57,600 --> 00:04:03,600 Speaker 1: the pressure. So overnight, he announced in nineteen forty seven, 61 00:04:03,640 --> 00:04:06,200 Speaker 1: I think it was maybe or yeah, forty seven or 62 00:04:06,280 --> 00:04:11,560 Speaker 1: forty eight, that West Berlin was being blockaded. No traffic, 63 00:04:12,240 --> 00:04:16,120 Speaker 1: no land or river traffic would be allowed into West Berlin. 64 00:04:16,160 --> 00:04:18,760 Speaker 1: He was going to starve him out. In effect, he 65 00:04:18,839 --> 00:04:21,760 Speaker 1: thought the Western Allies would just give up and leave 66 00:04:22,120 --> 00:04:26,240 Speaker 1: and leave all of Berlin to the Soviets. Well, he 67 00:04:26,320 --> 00:04:30,599 Speaker 1: didn't bank on Harry Truman, who decided from the start, 68 00:04:30,600 --> 00:04:33,600 Speaker 1: we're not going to let this stand. So Truman put 69 00:04:33,640 --> 00:04:41,000 Speaker 1: together the Berlin Airlift, which involved thousands of mostly American 70 00:04:41,040 --> 00:04:44,640 Speaker 1: but also British and French cargo planes on a daily. 71 00:04:44,400 --> 00:04:48,760 Speaker 2: Basis, unarmed and unescortated, that's right, which was very important, yep, 72 00:04:48,839 --> 00:04:52,800 Speaker 2: because the Soviets could never say it was some type 73 00:04:52,800 --> 00:04:57,440 Speaker 2: of military invasion, and so they couldn't shoot down these 74 00:04:57,520 --> 00:05:01,359 Speaker 2: humanitarian planes because they were on armed and unescorted. It 75 00:05:01,440 --> 00:05:03,239 Speaker 2: was a brilliant maneuver. Yeah. 76 00:05:03,279 --> 00:05:05,160 Speaker 1: Absolutely, Now they did harass them. 77 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:08,479 Speaker 2: They would, but they wouldn't shoot them down. But that's 78 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:11,240 Speaker 2: how to start yet another conflict. Yep. 79 00:05:11,440 --> 00:05:16,120 Speaker 1: They would shine spotlights in as a plane was landing. 80 00:05:16,160 --> 00:05:19,039 Speaker 1: They would shine bright spotlights into the eyes of the 81 00:05:19,080 --> 00:05:22,480 Speaker 1: crew in these planes to try to disorient them. Things 82 00:05:22,560 --> 00:05:26,599 Speaker 1: like that. But nonetheless, the Berlin Airlift brought thousands upon 83 00:05:26,680 --> 00:05:31,039 Speaker 1: thousands of cargo planes full of food other essentials to 84 00:05:31,080 --> 00:05:34,800 Speaker 1: get the West berliners through this blockade. Not knowing how 85 00:05:34,839 --> 00:05:40,200 Speaker 1: long it might last well. One of the pilots was 86 00:05:40,440 --> 00:05:46,360 Speaker 1: Gail Halverson from Utah. While his plane was being unloaded 87 00:05:46,600 --> 00:05:50,480 Speaker 1: in West Berlin, he wandered over to a fence where 88 00:05:50,520 --> 00:05:52,919 Speaker 1: he saw some children had gathered on the other side, 89 00:05:52,960 --> 00:05:58,480 Speaker 1: and they all obviously were desperately poor in rags for 90 00:05:58,520 --> 00:06:00,880 Speaker 1: the most part, but they were smiled and they wanted 91 00:06:01,560 --> 00:06:04,479 Speaker 1: to say hello if they could, and get maybe some 92 00:06:04,640 --> 00:06:07,159 Speaker 1: candy from him. First time he did that, he had 93 00:06:07,240 --> 00:06:10,000 Speaker 1: only two sticks of gum in his pocket. He broke 94 00:06:10,040 --> 00:06:12,839 Speaker 1: them up into very small pieces and distributed them to 95 00:06:12,920 --> 00:06:16,480 Speaker 1: the kids. When he ran out, the remaining kids just 96 00:06:16,760 --> 00:06:21,719 Speaker 1: smelled the gum wrappers, you know, and just savor the aroma. 97 00:06:21,760 --> 00:06:24,880 Speaker 1: And that gave him an idea. He told the kids, 98 00:06:25,000 --> 00:06:29,400 Speaker 1: I'll be back and watch for my plane. He said, 99 00:06:29,480 --> 00:06:33,080 Speaker 1: I'll wiggle the wings. That's how he became known to 100 00:06:33,320 --> 00:06:37,880 Speaker 1: West Berlin children as Uncle Wiggly Wings. He said, I'll 101 00:06:37,880 --> 00:06:41,560 Speaker 1: wiggle my wings before I drop you some candy buy parachutes, 102 00:06:42,160 --> 00:06:44,440 Speaker 1: and so he and some of his men would tie 103 00:06:44,600 --> 00:06:49,040 Speaker 1: chocolate bars and other candies to homemade parachutes like a handkerchief, 104 00:06:49,200 --> 00:06:51,480 Speaker 1: make a parachute out of it, and when they were 105 00:06:51,520 --> 00:06:55,200 Speaker 1: bringing the cargo loads of stuff into West Berlin, before 106 00:06:55,200 --> 00:06:58,400 Speaker 1: they'd land, they would throw out all these parachutes with 107 00:06:58,480 --> 00:07:04,320 Speaker 1: candy for these kids. And other air forcemen thought this 108 00:07:04,360 --> 00:07:06,760 Speaker 1: is a great idea. I'm going to do it too well. 109 00:07:07,320 --> 00:07:10,960 Speaker 1: Gail Halverson never went to his superior officer to get 110 00:07:11,120 --> 00:07:12,120 Speaker 1: authorization for this. 111 00:07:12,360 --> 00:07:13,120 Speaker 2: He just did it. 112 00:07:13,200 --> 00:07:15,840 Speaker 1: He just did it, and so the others were as well. 113 00:07:15,880 --> 00:07:18,240 Speaker 1: And then he got called in and he thought he 114 00:07:18,320 --> 00:07:22,400 Speaker 1: might even be court martialed, but his commanding officer called 115 00:07:22,480 --> 00:07:25,080 Speaker 1: him in to commend him, and he said, let's make 116 00:07:25,120 --> 00:07:29,760 Speaker 1: this a magnificent campaign. Let's let the world know that 117 00:07:29,800 --> 00:07:33,280 Speaker 1: we're doing this well. In the end. Over the next 118 00:07:33,320 --> 00:07:39,480 Speaker 1: several months, thousands of American families sewed together crude little parachutes. 119 00:07:40,440 --> 00:07:44,600 Speaker 1: Candy companies in America and Britain donated more than twenty 120 00:07:44,680 --> 00:07:49,840 Speaker 1: tons of candy that the Air Force dropped, and they 121 00:07:49,840 --> 00:07:52,440 Speaker 1: are great stories. Gail Halverson wrote a book about it, 122 00:07:52,480 --> 00:07:55,960 Speaker 1: and he produced some of the letters that kids in 123 00:07:55,960 --> 00:08:00,720 Speaker 1: West Berlin wrote once they learned of him, letters to 124 00:08:00,760 --> 00:08:04,960 Speaker 1: the airport hoping that it would get to mister Halverson. 125 00:08:05,520 --> 00:08:09,120 Speaker 1: And one kid named Peter writes this adorable letter where 126 00:08:09,160 --> 00:08:13,280 Speaker 1: he says, you guys keep dropping parachutes, but they don't 127 00:08:13,360 --> 00:08:15,760 Speaker 1: land near me. I don't know how you guys ever 128 00:08:15,800 --> 00:08:21,600 Speaker 1: won the war. And he gave directions. He says, next 129 00:08:21,680 --> 00:08:24,440 Speaker 1: time you come to West Berlin, look for the house 130 00:08:24,520 --> 00:08:26,800 Speaker 1: right next to the bridge, turn right and drop it there. 131 00:08:28,720 --> 00:08:32,439 Speaker 1: I mean, it's just an incredible correspondence. But this turned 132 00:08:32,440 --> 00:08:36,360 Speaker 1: out to be one of the many reasons why after 133 00:08:36,440 --> 00:08:39,719 Speaker 1: the Berlin blockade was lifted by Stalin that came to 134 00:08:39,760 --> 00:08:43,440 Speaker 1: an end. There was such great love for Americans by 135 00:08:43,600 --> 00:08:46,760 Speaker 1: West Berliners. They came to our rescue. They even dropped 136 00:08:46,800 --> 00:08:48,080 Speaker 1: candy by parachutes. 137 00:08:48,280 --> 00:08:52,880 Speaker 2: See that's the part that really struck me. Is just 138 00:08:54,240 --> 00:08:58,520 Speaker 2: a small thing, but just an average guy. There were 139 00:08:58,640 --> 00:09:03,880 Speaker 2: thousands of Polots. Think of the enormous good will it 140 00:09:03,920 --> 00:09:11,240 Speaker 2: created and candidly, you know, we can have diplomats all 141 00:09:11,280 --> 00:09:14,680 Speaker 2: over the place. This is maybe one of the greatest 142 00:09:14,800 --> 00:09:19,760 Speaker 2: foreign affair successes there is because those kids become adults 143 00:09:20,160 --> 00:09:23,080 Speaker 2: and always remember Americans as the ones who tried to 144 00:09:23,080 --> 00:09:23,760 Speaker 2: put a smile on it. 145 00:09:23,920 --> 00:09:28,240 Speaker 1: That's right, ordinary people helping ordinary people. This isn't president 146 00:09:28,280 --> 00:09:30,839 Speaker 1: to president, it's ordinary person to ordinary person. 147 00:09:30,960 --> 00:09:34,840 Speaker 2: That's it. And I remember in this chapter a line 148 00:09:35,559 --> 00:09:37,920 Speaker 2: clean this up for me because I'm about to butcher it. 149 00:09:38,559 --> 00:09:45,520 Speaker 2: But don't forget about us freedom something. What was the 150 00:09:45,559 --> 00:09:46,240 Speaker 2: comment there. 151 00:09:46,200 --> 00:09:50,600 Speaker 1: Something to the effect that freedom is indivisible, that when 152 00:09:50,679 --> 00:09:54,439 Speaker 1: someone loses it, we all lose something, and that we're 153 00:09:54,480 --> 00:09:56,760 Speaker 1: all in this together. That was the kind of sentiment, 154 00:09:57,120 --> 00:10:01,160 Speaker 1: don't forget us. We are as interested in in freedom 155 00:10:01,559 --> 00:10:01,920 Speaker 1: as you. 156 00:10:01,920 --> 00:10:04,760 Speaker 2: Are, right and just a little candy bar being dropped 157 00:10:04,920 --> 00:10:08,600 Speaker 2: gave those children hope that they weren't forgotten. Yep, exactly, 158 00:10:10,920 --> 00:10:16,240 Speaker 2: Gail Howverson, the candy bomber, Maybe he should have been 159 00:10:18,040 --> 00:10:22,440 Speaker 2: our ambassador to Germany or something, because he probably created 160 00:10:22,520 --> 00:10:24,199 Speaker 2: more goodwill than anything else our government. 161 00:10:25,040 --> 00:10:27,360 Speaker 1: Absolutely, And in his book, by the Way, there are 162 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:31,280 Speaker 1: many stories of what happened in subsequent years as he 163 00:10:31,320 --> 00:10:34,080 Speaker 1: grew older and as the kids grew up. There were 164 00:10:34,120 --> 00:10:36,520 Speaker 1: many occasions when he would go back to Berlin to 165 00:10:36,600 --> 00:10:42,520 Speaker 1: be celebrated by some event, and children who were then 166 00:10:42,640 --> 00:10:46,120 Speaker 1: adults came up to thank him, and they were telling 167 00:10:46,160 --> 00:10:48,439 Speaker 1: him stories about how, you know, where they got their 168 00:10:48,480 --> 00:10:51,720 Speaker 1: first candy bar by parachute, that kind of thing. So 169 00:10:51,760 --> 00:10:54,440 Speaker 1: there were a lot of wonderful reunions in later years, 170 00:10:54,520 --> 00:10:59,360 Speaker 1: and that just cemented the relationship between ordinary Germans in 171 00:10:59,600 --> 00:11:01,280 Speaker 1: ordinary Americans. 172 00:11:01,160 --> 00:11:07,400 Speaker 2: As a result of this man, yep, thank you for 173 00:11:07,559 --> 00:11:11,240 Speaker 2: joining us for this special series, An Army of Normal 174 00:11:11,320 --> 00:11:16,120 Speaker 2: Dead Folks. If Gail Halverson or other episodes have inspired 175 00:11:16,160 --> 00:11:20,199 Speaker 2: you in general, or better yet, to take action by 176 00:11:20,440 --> 00:11:25,000 Speaker 2: acting heroically in our time buying Larry Read's book Real 177 00:11:25,040 --> 00:11:28,440 Speaker 2: Heroes where the story came from, or if you have 178 00:11:28,559 --> 00:11:32,600 Speaker 2: story ideas for this series, please let me know. I'd 179 00:11:32,640 --> 00:11:35,600 Speaker 2: love to hear about it. You can write me anytime 180 00:11:35,960 --> 00:11:38,840 Speaker 2: at Bill at normal folks dot us, and I promise 181 00:11:38,880 --> 00:11:42,600 Speaker 2: you I will respond. If you enjoyed this episode, share 182 00:11:42,600 --> 00:11:45,559 Speaker 2: it with friends and on social subscribe to the podcast, 183 00:11:45,760 --> 00:11:49,240 Speaker 2: rate it, review it, join the Army at normal folks 184 00:11:49,280 --> 00:11:53,240 Speaker 2: dot us, consider becoming a premium member there any and 185 00:11:53,400 --> 00:11:56,120 Speaker 2: all of these things that will help us grow an 186 00:11:56,280 --> 00:12:00,840 Speaker 2: Army of normal Folks. I'm Bill Courtney. Until next time, 187 00:12:01,320 --> 00:12:07,840 Speaker 2: do what you can mhm.