[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 634 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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115th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 634

 Commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift and honoring 
                   the veterans of Operation Vittles.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 18, 2018

 Mr. Risch (for himself, Mrs. Shaheen, and Mr. Johnson) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift and honoring 
                   the veterans of Operation Vittles.

Whereas in the spring of 1948, Berlin was isolated within the Soviet occupation 
        zone, and there were only 35 days' worth of food and 45 days' worth of 
        coal remaining for the city;
Whereas military planners in the United States and the United Kingdom determined 
        that--

    (1) 1,534 tons of flour, wheat, fish, milk, and other food items would 
be required daily to feed the 2,000,000 residents of Berlin; and

    (2) 3,475 tons of coal and gasoline would be required daily to keep the 
city of Berlin heated and powered;

Whereas, on June 1, 1948, the United States Air Force created the Military Air 
        Transport Service, the predecessor to the Air Mobility Command, to 
        organize and conduct airlift missions;
Whereas, on June 26, 1948, Operation Vittles began when 32 C-47 Dakotas of the 
        United States Air Force departed West Germany for Berlin hauling 80 tons 
        of cargo;
Whereas the first British aircraft involved in Operation Vittles launched on 
        June 28, 1948;
Whereas Major General William H. Tunner, a veteran of the aerial supply line 
        over the Himalayas during World War II, took command of Operation 
        Vittles on July 28, 1948;
Whereas Major General Tunner pioneered many new and innovative tactics and 
        procedures for the airlift, including creating air corridors for ingress 
        and egress, staggering the altitudes at which aircraft flew, and 
        implementing instrument flight rules that allowed aircraft to land as 
        frequently as every 3 minutes;
Whereas one pilot, 1st Lieutenant Gail S. Halvorsen, who became known as the 
        ``Candy Bomber'', initiated Operation Little Vittles to bring hope to 
        the children of Berlin by dropping handkerchief parachutes containing 
        chocolate and chewing gum as a symbol of the goodwill of the United 
        States;
Whereas Operation Little Vittles ultimately dropped more than 3 tons of candy in 
        more than 250,000 miniature parachutes;
Whereas, on Easter Sunday, April 17, 1949, airlifters reached the pinnacle of 
        Operation Vittles by delivering 13,000 tons of cargo, including the 
        equivalent of 600 railroad cars full of coal, and setting the record for 
        tonnage of cargo delivered in a single day during the Berlin Airlift;
Whereas 39 British airmen and 31 American airmen made the ultimate sacrifice 
        during the Berlin Airlift and 8 British aircraft and 17 American 
        aircraft were lost;
Whereas airlifters delivered more than 2,300,000 tons of food and supplies 
        during 278,228 total flights into Berlin;
Whereas the Soviet Union was forced to lift the blockade of Berlin in light of 
        the success of the 15-month airlift operation;
Whereas the Berlin Airlift marked the first use of airpower to provide hope and 
        humanitarian assistance and to win a strategic victory against enemy 
        aggression and intimidation;
Whereas the enormous effort and cooperation of the Berlin Airlift helped 
        overcome years of animosity between the United States and Germany and 
        laid the foundation for a deep and lasting friendship between the people 
        of the two countries; and
Whereas today Germany is one of the closest and strongest allies of the United 
        States in Europe, based on the close and vital relationship of the two 
        countries as friends, trading partners, and allies sharing common values 
        and institutions that promote stability in political, economic, and 
        security matters: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes the 70th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, 
        the largest and longest running humanitarian airlift operation 
        in history;
            (2) honors the service and sacrifice of the men and women 
        who participated in and supported the Berlin Airlift;
            (3) applauds the men and women of the Air Mobility Command 
        of the United States Air Force, who, in keeping with the best 
        traditions of the Berlin Airlift, still work diligently to 
        provide hope, save lives, and deliver freedom around the world 
        in support of the foreign policy objectives of the United 
        States; and
            (4) commends the close friendship forged between the people 
        of the United States and Germany through the Berlin Airlift, 
        which helps sustain the transatlantic alliance to this day.
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