Wednesday, July 02, 2008







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Veterans honor Berlin Airlift's 60th anniversary
By Tango Charlie: The Air Force is accepting applications until Nov. 21 for the Doctor of Physical Therapy program, which begins October 2009 at the Health Science Center at Fort Sam Houston, Texas. Only active-duty Airmen who possess a baccalaureate ...
Military Forum - http://www.forum.militaryltd.com

By Flag Gazer(Flag Gazer) WASHINGTON, June 27, 2008 - For 50 years, Dub Southers recalled the grueling hours he worked at an air base in northern Germany at the start of the Berlin Airlift, not the historical significance of what he helped to achieve as a flight ...
Gazing at the Flag - http://gazingattheflag.blogspot.com/
Berlin Airlift reminds us of American might
Sourdough Sentinel - Wasilla,AK,USA
...Pacific Air Force's strategically-placed C-17s obviously travel faster, farther and carry greater loads than the aircraft during the Berlin airlift. ...

Weapons of food, fuel
Chicago Tribune - United States
By David Rising AP BERLIN — Germany marked the 60th anniversary of the start of the Berlin Airlift on Thursday, celebrating an unprecedented undertaking ...

Berlin airlift anniversary 60 years in the making
Special Broadcasting Service - Australia
...Veterans of the famous Berlin airlift reunited in Germany to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the life-saving operation. Allied planes streamed into the ...

Germany Marks 60th Anniversary Of Berlin Airlift
RTT News - Williamsville,NY,USA(RTTNews) - Germany commemorated Thursday the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, the largest humanitarian operation of its kind. ...

60th anniversary of Berlin airlift
PRESS TV - Tehran,Iran
...Germany commemorates the 60th anniversary of the Berlin airlift, when western allies kept the city supplied despite a Soviet blockade. ...

Berlin Airlift Veterans Return to Germany for Anniversary
By AmericasNewsTodayCom
...For 50 years, Dub Southers recalled the grueling hours he worked at an air base in northern Germany at the start of the Berlin Airlift, not the historical significance of what he helped to achieve as a flight engineer and crew chief. ...
By Air Force Link Top Stories
...American, British and French veterans have returned to Germany to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift. Dr. Helmut Trotnow, the curator of the Allied Museum in Berlin, attributed part of the dissolution of the Soviet ...
www.pret.hu - http://www.pret.hu/

Berlin Airlift Veterans Return to Germany for Anniversary
By Steve For 50 years, Dub Southers recalled the grueling hours he worked at an air base in northern Germany at the start of the Berlin Airlift, not the historical significance of what he helped to achieve as a flight engineer and crew chief. ...
Veteran.com - Military Veteran... - http://veteran.com

Germany marks 60th anniversary of Berlin Airlift
By Admin Germany marks 60th anniversary of Berlin Airlift.
News Click - Submit, Read and... - http://newsclick.biz

60 Years Later, Berlin Airlift Remembered
By admin It was the beginning of the Berlin airlift — the biggest humanitarian operation of its kind. “Berlin was in rubble and was not very pleasant at that time after the war,” recalls Traute Grier, who was going on 16 at the time of the ...
Net News Publisher - http://www.netnewspublisher.com
Germany remembers Berlin airlift
BBC News - UK
...Germany has been commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Berlin airlift, when the Western allies kept the city supplied despite a Soviet blockade. ...

Germany remember Berlin airlift on 60th anniversary
International Herald Tribune - France
AP BERLIN: Germany on Thursday commemorated the 60th anniversary of the start of the Berlin airlift, celebrating an unprecedented undertaking that probably ...

Germany celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Berlin airlift
Daily Mail - UKBy Daily Mail Reporter
...Germany yesterday remembered the first battle of the long Cold War - the heroic Berlin Airlift which thwarted Soviet plans to starve ...

FACTBOX - What was the Berlin airlift?
Reuters - USA(Reuters) - This week marks the 60th anniversary of the start of the Berlin airlift. Below is the history and some facts behind the western allies' response ...

Air force men retrace route of Berlin Airlift
Earthtimes (press release) - London,UKBerlin - Allied air force personnel who took part in the Berlin Airlift flew the route again Thursday, with their president, Earl Moore, recalling in Berlin ...

Berlin Airlift vets return to Germany for anniversary
Edwards Air Force Base - Edwards AFB,CA,USA
...Her search found the Berlin Airlift Veterans Association and he became its secretary. He ended up visiting Germany that year for the 50th anniversary, ...

Southern California Veterans Remember Berlin Airlift
89.3 KPCC - CA,USA
The Soviet blockade led to the Berlin Airlift, the first "battle" in the Cold War, and a rousing American victory. KPCC's Susan Valot spoke with some ...

Germany celebrates the 60th anniversary of the Berlin airlift
This is London - London,England,UK
...Germany yesterday remembered the first battle of the long Cold War - the heroic Berlin Airlift which thwarted Soviet plans to starve the western half of the ...

Germany: 60 Years Later, Berlin Airlift Remembered
RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty - Prague,Czech Republic
...It was the beginning of the Berlin airlift -- the biggest humanitarian operation of its kind. "Berlin was in rubble and was not very pleasant at that time ...

'Uncle Wiggly Wings' and Berlin's Candy Bombers
NPR - USA
...On the anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, co-host Ari Shapiro talks with Andrei Cherny, author of The Candy Bombers, and pilot Hal Halvorsen, whose secret ...

60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift
By economax On June 24th 1948 the Soviet Union closed off all roads and supply roads to West Berlin to get power over the half of the city occupied by France, Britain and the United States. Only 2 days later the United States and Britain launched ...
What Matters - http://economatters.wordpress.com

Germany remembers Berlin airlift
By pbtt A small group of veterans was on Thursday due to visit the Allied Museum and Tempelhof airport, which served as the hub of the Berlin airlift, to pay tribute to the pilots who lost their lives during the operation....
Terror News Briefs - http://pbtt.wordpress.com

Berlin Blockade and the Berlin Airlift
By Zoe Connolly(Zoe Connolly) Berlin Airlift Monument in Berlin-Tempelhof, displaying the names of the 39 British and 31 American pilots who lost their lives during the operation. Similar monuments can be found at the military airfield Wietzenbruch near the former ...
Aviatrix :: Zoe Connolly - http://zoeconnolly.blogspot.com/

When America Stood Tall: The Berlin Airlift of 1948
By Jeff During the current period when there is much discussion of the need for a strong American public diplomacy program, the Berlin Airlift reminds us that strong public diplomacy begins with a sensible foreign policy and that for now we ...
Politics and Press - http://politicsandpress.com

Germany remembers Berlin airlift
By Darith A small group of veterans was on Thursday due to visit the Allied Museum and Tempelhof airport, which served as the hub of the Berlin airlift, to pay tribute to the pilots who lost their lives during the operation. ...
- http://www.darithdeng.com/
'Friends Always' - Germany and the US Commemorate the 60th ...
Biloxi Sun Herald - MS, USABy German Embassy June 24, 2008 marks the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, one of the most important dates in the history of US-German friendship. ...

Berlin Airlift a Cold War turning point
MLive.com - MI,USABy DAVID RISING AP BERLIN (AP) — On June 26, 1948, when the Berlin Airlift began, chances of success seemed slim and its significance was unclear. ...

Germans Remember the Berlin Airlift - With Gratitude?'
American Daily - Stow,OH,USABy Jack L. Key (06/23/08) The AP’s Sunday report on June 22 of the German remembrance of the 1948 Berlin Airlift was a piece of Barak Obama endorsement ...

60 Years Ago--Berlin Airlift Kept Berlin Free
By r morris(r morris) My favorite story of the Berlin Airlift involves a Utah man named Gail Halversen, better-known as the 'Candy Bomber'. Other names given to him by German children were: Uncle Wiggly Wings, The Schokoladen Flieger, Uncle Wackelfluger ...
By Ryan(Sue Ann) June 24, 1948: In the early days of the Cold War the Soviet Union challenged the West's right of access to Berlin. The Soviets created a blockade and an airlift to supply some 2250000 people at West Berlin resulted. ...
By admin Sixty years ago, the Allies flew supplies into Berlin in response to the Soviet-initiated blockade of the western portion of the city. No sooner had World War II come to an end, than the next war began: the Cold War. ...
On Tuesday, the German capital marked the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift. More than two million people were rescued from starvation in the first major standoff in the Cold War between East and West.
By Rich Liebson This week marks the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, when American and British flyers began hauling countless tons of food and supplies into the divided German city in defiance of a Soviet blockade. ...
The Local - Hamburg - Hamburg,GermanyOn the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, Steve Kettmann speaks with Andrei Cherny, author of The Candy Bombers. The former speechwriter for Bill ...

Veterans of Berlin Airlift gather
BBC News - UKBerlin Airlift veterans are to gather at a Shropshire museum to mark the 60th anniversary of the operation. About 40 members of the British Berlin Airlift ...

The Berlin Airlift in Numbers
Deutsche Welle - Germany
...The so-called Berlin Airlift began on June 26, 1948 and ended 14 months later on August 27, 1949. Over the course of the airlift, 2.34 million tons of food, ...

Airlift saved Berlin from Soviet stranglehold
Monsters and Critics.com - USA
...Two days later, the allies responded to the blockade by organizing the Berlin Airlift, the biggest and most important humanitarian operation of its kind ...

'We saved Berlin,' says pilot of 1948 airlift
Tampabay.com - St. Petersburg,FL,USA
PETERSBURG — Ask Charles Hundley to describe the 225 missions he flew in the Berlin Airlift, and he'll give you a proper military answer: "It was just ...

60th Anniversary of the Berlin Airlift
By DWPTA 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift Blockade On June 12, 1948 the Soviet Union declared that the Autobahn, leading into Berlin from West Germany, was "closed for repairs." Three days later, road traffic between the sectors was halted ...
Broadband & ADSL Forums - Internet,... - http://mybroadband.co.za/vb
By Vector One On Thursday of this week Berlin will celebrate the Berlin Airlift of year’s ago. From where I live now, I can still see a ‘Rosinenbomber’ (Douglas C-47) daily, flying over the city as it takes tourists from Tempelhof Airport. ...
Summary: National Post, Canada As detailed by British writers Anthony Read and ... US and friendly nation laws prohibit fully ... with our laws this report cannot be provided in ... Military News and Information Editor ...
Thursday is the 60th anniversary of the start of the Berlin Airlift - the daring American-led operation to feed some 2 million West Berliners under Soviet blockade.
By Marni Soupcoff It was one of the most-amazing sights of the Cold War. By the hundreds, plane after plane thundered into the Berlin airports of Gatow, Tempelhof and... More.
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Tuesday, July 01, 2008


Family Groups Want No More Concessions Without Accounting for U.S. POW/MIAs;

Current U.S. Push Only For Japanese Abductees, Not Americans

BELLEVUE, Wash.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--As the U.S. government marches toward improved relations with North Korea, it is ignoring one of its most important obligations – requiring North Korea to account for over 8,000 American Prisoners of War and Missing in Action from the Korean War (1950-3.) The leading groups representing family members of the captured and missing and concerned veterans and citizens are calling on the Bush Administration to demand answers from North Korea immediately -- before any more concessions are granted.

After the end of the war, the United States government demanded an accounting for hundreds of Americans reported captured by the enemy but never returned or accounted for, plus thousands of missing men whose fates are a total mystery. The North Koreans and their Chinese allies refused to provide any credible response. In 1957, a “Sense of the Congress” resolution was passed that stated an accounting and/or return of U.S. POWs and MIAs from Korea should be “a primary objective of the foreign policy of the United States.” In recent years, escapees from North Korea have described seeing men they believe were U.S. prisoners and North Korean officials have mentioned the presence of living “survivors” or “war criminals” from the conflict. Pentagon investigators have also uncovered evidence supporting wartime claims that U.S. prisoners were shipped from North Korea to secret prisons in China and the Soviet Union, from which they never returned. Just two weeks ago, a Chinese government report was revealed that admitted -- breaking 50 years of Chinese and North Korean denials -- Sgt. Richard Desautels was taken from North Korea to China, where Beijing now claims his remains cannot be found. (View fact sheet on US POW/MIAs in North Korea at www.nationalalliance.org/koreapowfacts.htm).

“The United States must not drop North Korea as a ‘State Sponsor of Terrorism’ until it takes a significant first step in accounting for our lost heroes and agrees to a detailed program of accounting for American POWs and MIAs, starting with those captured alive but not returned at the end of the war and the ‘survivors’ and ‘war criminals’ mentioned by the North as remaining alive after the war,” said the National Alliance of Families for the Return of America’s Missing Servicemen (National Alliance of Families/NAF) and Korea-Cold War Families of the Missing.

“My father would be astonished to know North Korea has been dropped from ‘Trading with the Enemy’ status and is now poised to get other major diplomatic concessions with absolutely no requirement to account for him and his lost colleagues,” said Bill Sowles, son of Korean War POW/MIA SFC Lewis Sowles, who disappeared in North Korea during 1950.

Despite this, current negotiations with North Korea do not include U.S. POWs and MIAs. Instead, the U.S. has focused on accounting for Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea. Last week, President Bush stated: “The United States will never forget the abduction of Japanese citizens by the North Koreans. We will continue to closely cooperate and coordinate with Japan and press North Korea to swiftly resolve the abduction issue.”

The POW/MIA family groups strongly support an accounting for Japanese abductees, but call upon President Bush and Congress to honor America’s promise to its lost heroes, our Prisoners and Missing from the Korean War.

Contacts

Korea-Cold War Families of the Missing
Irene Mandra, 516-694-0989
imandra@optonline.net
or
National Alliance of POW/MIA Families
Lynn O’Shea, 718-846-4350
lynn@nationalalliance.org
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Exploring a Cold-War Relic
Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Eric Lippmann



An Army diver from Fort Eustis, Va., descends to the former Soviet submarine Juliett 484 at the bottom of Providence River, R.I., June 7, 2008. Army divers are exploring ways to raise the sub, which sank in about 30 feet of water during a Nor'easter that struck the area April 2007.
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Col. Ray Graham, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden, Germany, salutes during the playing of the national anthem for ceremonies marking the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift. Graham, wearing a 1940s-era Army uniform, shared the stage with the city of Wiesbaden's Lord Mayor Helmet Mueller during a flightline observance June 26, 2008, on Wiesbaden Army Airfield.


WIESBADEN, Germany - In 1948, a political and military Cold War began when Berlin nearly fell into Josef Stalin's hands.

Stranded deep inside Soviet-controlled territory, 2 million Germans faced starvation. The resulting Allied response - the Berlin Airlift - not only saved a population, it also launched a friendship between countries that had been at war three years earlier.

Sixty years later, thousands of Americans Germans - including participants of the legendary humanitarian mission and survivors of the blockade - gathered in Wiesbaden for two days to celebrate the airlift's anniversary.

Speaking at a June 26 breakfast held in honor of 24 U.S. and German veterans, Col. Ray Graham, commander of U.S. Army Garrison Wiesbaden, said: "Today is my best day in command. I'm sure Air Force Brig. Gen. Joseph Smith felt the same way (on June 26, 1948) as he stood on the airfield and watched the first aircraft lumber off the runway and disappear into the clouds for Berlin, signifying the start of an undertaking the likes of which the world had never known."

It was from Wiesbaden Army Airfield that pilots, flying C-47 Skytrains, C-54 Skymasters, C-82 Packets and C-74 Globemasters, made two-hour jumps - often harassed by Soviet Yak fighter jets - to Berlin's Tempelhof airport. All together, 28,299 airlift sorties were launched from WAAF during the 15-month operation, delivering 326,137 tons of food, medicine and coal.

As for the Berlin Airlift overall, American and British aircrews kept the beleaguered city alive with almost 280,000 flights (covering 92 million miles) that carried 2.3 million tons of supplies.

Simply put, "We brought in the things that people needed to stay alive, to stay free," said retired Col. Gail Halvorsen, 87, renown as the Candy Bomber for dropping gum and chocolate to Berlin's children. "That gives you the magnitude of this operation. It was fantastic."

And while pilots, such as Halvorsen, have been recognized throughout the years for their exploits, those working on the ground also played a major role in the airlift's success.

Crew chief Johnny Macia, a private first class at the time, said everyone involved "had a job to do and we got it done; aircraft were arriving every 90 seconds at Templehoff."

The retired master sergeant recalled that aircraft were tearing up the runways, "(they) had men and women on the sides with shovels, sand and tar filling up the holes. It took everyone to run the operation."

Sharing that burden were German citizens as well. Kurt Lehmann, who helped in building Berlin's Tegel Airport, recalls the period of time as being tough for all European citizens - not just Berliners - as the Soviets enforced their will on embattled smaller countries. "That's why we started the airlift ... why people survived."

For these daring actions, every airlift veteran was instrumental in shaping the Europe of today, said Dr. Helmut Mueller, Wiesbaden's lord mayor during a June 26 speech at WAAF. "One thing we can say with certainty: Without the Berlin Airlift, the reunification of Germany and Europe would not have been possible.

Wiesbaden also hosted an open house June 29, the first public event at Wiesbaden since Sept. 11, 2001. More than 10,000 people attended an eight-hour show that provided static displays - including an Air Force C-17 Globemaster III - helicopter candy drops and a meet-and-greet with the veterans, including Bill Morrissey, who labeled the tributes "overwhelming."

"It's been a joy ... but with sadness," said Morrissey, who at 18 served as an American air traffic controller at the former Celle Royal Air Force Station, which was located in the British sector of post-World War II Germany.

"Remembrance is tough," he said, referring to the 77 men - 32 American, 39 British and six German - who died during the airlift.
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