[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 142 (Tuesday, September 9, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Page S8178]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 60TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE BERLIN AIRLIFT

 Mr. JOHNSON. Mr. President, it is with great honor that today 
I recognize the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, for which the 
reunion is being held in Rapid City, SD. The Berlin Airlift Veterans 
Association will be holding the reunion September 29 through October 3, 
2008.
  The first skirmishes of the Cold War began with the Soviet blockade 
of Berlin in 1948, which prevented residents of West Berlin from 
accessing food and fuel from outside the city indefinitely. Later 
deemed ``the greatest humanitarian airlift in history,'' American, 
British, and French Allies supplied the 2 million residents of West 
Berlin with coal, food, medicine, and other supplies. Through nearly 
300,000 flights, 2.5 million tons of supplies were delivered before the 
USSR lifted the blockade in 1949.
  I am proud to have this opportunity to honor those involved in the 
Berlin Airlift, and their outstanding service to those in a most dire 
situation. The 50th anniversary reunion was held in Berlin in 1998, 
with President Clinton in attendance. Due to the deployment of B-29s 
from Ellsworth Air Force Base during the airlift, the 60th anniversary 
celebrations will be held in Rapid City, SD. Again, I commend the hard 
work and dedication of the American, British, and French pilots 
involved, and I am very pleased that their substantial efforts are 
being publicly honored and celebrated.

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