# 'Candy Bomber' Gail Halvorsen has died **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [February 17, 2022, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-bomber-gail-halvorsen-has-died/959700 "2022-02-17T21:44:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-bomber-gail-halvorsen-has-died/959700/1 "2022-02-17T21:44:24Z")
> **['Candy Bomber' who dropped sweets during Berlin airlift dies](https://apnews.com/article/europe-utah-world-war-ii-berlin-blockades-fab750bae8de282e8ea2edce8b65b317)** > > DENVER (AP) — U.S. military pilot Gail S. Halvorsen — known as the “Candy Bomber” for his candy airdrops during the Berlin airlift after World War II ended — has died at age 101. Halvorsen died Wednesday following a brief illness in his home state... ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/b77776/32.png) [@Paul\_was\_in\_Saudi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_was_in_Saudi)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-bomber-gail-halvorsen-has-died/959700/2 "2022-02-17T22:21:04Z")
Hurray for him! ---
**Author:** ![carnut](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnut/32/3531_2.png) [@carnut](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnut)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 11:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-bomber-gail-halvorsen-has-died/959700/3 "2022-02-17T23:02:36Z")
Sometimes, people are wonderful. ---
**Author:** ![carrps](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carrps/32/2957_2.png) [@carrps](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carrps)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 11:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-bomber-gail-halvorsen-has-died/959700/4 "2022-02-17T23:06:29Z")
I read about a book about him and the candy bomber saga. It was heartwarming, but also _smart_. Those little kids who got the candy bars were fans of democracy for life. ---
**Author:** ![Pardel-Lux](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pardel-lux/32/20182_2.png) [@Pardel-Lux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pardel-Lux)\ **Post date:** [February 17, 2022, 11:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-bomber-gail-halvorsen-has-died/959700/5 "2022-02-17T23:09:18Z")
Oh, that is sad. We really had a soft spot for him here in Berlin, even people like me who were born later. BTW: He was called Rosinenbomber here, not Candy Bomber. Rosinen are raisins. Don’t know why Germans assotiate raisins with extremely good, but we also don’t say cherry picking but raisin picking (Rosinenpickerei) and mean the same. ETA: I just remembered that I wrote about that [cherry](http://www.untrans.eu/english/words/cherry-pick.html)/[Rosinen](http://www.untrans.eu/deutsch/woerter/rosinenpickerei.html) thing ages ago. I should have mentioned Gail S. Halvorsen there. I may still do, despite having abandoned that project. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-bomber-gail-halvorsen-has-died/959700/6 "2022-02-19T01:11:20Z")
Oh no. I had him on my death pool list, but I’m so sorry to hear of his passing. I had a former boss that could have been one of the kids who waited for the candy. ---
**Author:** ![dummygladhands71](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/c0e974/32.png) [@dummygladhands71](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dummygladhands71)\ **Post date:** [February 19, 2022, 3:41am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/candy-bomber-gail-halvorsen-has-died/959700/7 "2022-02-19T03:41:48Z")
The Air Force museum has a nice display remembering him