Arizona Edition--Recently, a flying crew from the Arizona National Guard was suspended for dropping candy to children at a Halloween party.
This gesture of dropping candy to children has been a time-honored tradition among air crews in the U.S. Military.
Col. Gail Halverson, who is also known as the Berlin Candy Bomber, was one of hundreds of American pilots involved in the Berlin airlift in 1948.
When Halverson heard the news about the flying crew being suspended for the gesture, he was worried the tradition would come to an end.
Halverson began the tradition during a time when more than 2 million people faced economic collapse and starvation. American pilots delivered food and supplies to those who were cut off by the Soviet Union.
He says when he started giving away candy to children, it boosted the morale and symbolized hope.
KAWC’s Stephanie Sanchez speaks with Gail Halverson about how this gesture softened people’s hearts during a time of war.