[117th Congress Public Law 134]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[[Page 136 STAT. 1241]]
Public Law 117-134
117th Congress
An Act
To rename the Provo Veterans Center in Orem, Utah, as the ``Col. Gail S.
Halvorsen `Candy Bomber' Veterans Center''. <<NOTE: June 7, 2022 - [S.
2514]>>
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. DESIGNATION OF THE COL. GAIL S. HALVORSEN ``CANDY
BOMBER'' VETERANS CENTER.
(a) Findings.--Congress finds the following:
(1) Gail Halvorsen was born in Salt Lake City, Utah, on
October 10, 1920, and spent his youth with his family on small
farms in Utah and Idaho.
(2) After a brief stint at Utah State University, Gail
Halvorsen joined the Civilian Pilot Training Program where he
earned his pilot's license in 1941. During that same year,
Halvorsen joined the Civil Air Patrol as a pilot.
(3) Gail Halvorsen joined the United States Army Air Corps
in 1942 and trained flying fighter jets with the Royal Air
Force. Upon his return from training, he was assigned to fly
transport missions in the South Atlantic Theater.
(4) After World War II and the division of Berlin into
occupation zones, disputes broke out between the Western Allies
and the Soviet Union over the future of Europe.
(5) Negotiations deteriorated, and in June of 1948 Soviet
forces locked down all land routes connecting Western Germany
with the allied portions of Berlin. Approximately 2,000,000
people in West Berlin were left completely isolated. Starvation,
poverty, and desperate want ensued.
(6) In an effort to alleviate the immense human suffering,
the allies decided to drop supplies to people of West Berlin
from the air until a diplomatic solution to the blockade could
be reached. Termed by United States forces ``Operation
Vittles'', the Berlin Airlift began on June 26, 1948.
(7) Gail Halvorsen was assigned to Germany in 1948 to work
as an airlift pilot where he flew C-47 and C-54 cargo planes as
part of Operation Vittles.
(8) While on mission at Tempelhof Airport in Berlin,
Halvorsen noticed a group of German children standing just
outside the barb wire fence.
(9) The children were destitute and clearly had very little
to eat. Halvorsen gave the children two sticks of gum he had in
his pocket, which they split into little pieces to share among
themselves.
[[Page 136 STAT. 1242]]
(10) Colonel Halvorsen was deeply affected by the experience
and wanted to do more to help. He promised the children he would
drop more candy to them from his plane as he flew his regular
airlift missions.
(11) Halvorsen told the children they would recognize his
plane by a back-and-forth waggle of his wings as he flew over.
(12) Colonel Halvorsen enlisted his copilot and engineer in
the project and began attaching their candy rations to miniature
parachutes which they dropped from their plane to the starving
children below.
(13) The children of Berlin gave Halvorsen many nicknames
including ``Uncle Wiggly Wings'', ``The Chocolate Flier'', ``The
Gum Drop Kid'', and ``The Chocolate Uncle''. He eventually
became known around the world as ``The Candy Bomber''.
(14) Lieutenant General William H. Turner, who directed the
Berlin Airlift, learned about Halvorsen's efforts and officially
expanded the idea into a full-blown operation known as ``Little
Vittles'' as a play on the broader operation's name.
(15) As the candy drops continued, word of Operation Little
Vittles reached the United States. Families, schoolchildren, and
candymakers in the United States began contributing candy and
homemade parachutes that Halvorsen and other pilots could drop.
(16) When the Berlin Airlift ended, an estimated 250,000
parachutes containing approximately 21 tons of candy had been
dropped by Halvorsen and his fellow airmen as a part of
Operation Little Vittles.
(17) Halvorsen retired from the military in 1974 after 31
years of service and more than 8,000 hours of flying time.
(18) Since his retirement, Halvorson has continued his
humanitarian service. He has voluntarily represented the United
States Air Force and the United States abroad and has re-enacted
his famous candy drops several times in Berlin and around the
world.
(19) Halvorsen has also been a tremendous boon to his
community through church service and other local contributions.
(20) Gail Halvorsen turned 100 years old on October 10,
2020.
(b) Designation.--The Provo Veterans Center of the Department of
Veterans Affairs located at 360 State Street, Orem, Utah, shall after
the date of the enactment of this Act be known and designated as the
``Col. Gail S. Halvorsen `Candy Bomber' Veterans Center''.
[[Page 136 STAT. 1243]]
(c) Reference.--Any reference in any law, regulation, map, document,
paper, or other record of the United States to the veterans center
referred to in subsection (b) shall be considered to be a reference to
the Col. Gail S. Halvorsen ``Candy Bomber'' Veterans Center.
Approved June 7, 2022.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY--S. 2514:
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CONGRESSIONAL RECORD:
Vol. 167 (2021):
Dec. 17, considered and passed
Senate.
Vol. 168 (2022):
May 16, 17, considered and passed
House.
DAILY COMPILATION OF PRESIDENTIAL DOCUMENTS (2022):
June 7, Presidential remarks.
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