Col. Gail Halvorsen of Berlin Airlift and 'Little Vittles' Fame Gone at 102 Years

Colonel Gail Halvorsen, famous for his role in originating the morale-boosting 'candy bombing' operation during the early days of the cold war, has passed away peacefully at 102 years of age, surrounded by generations of his family after a brief illness. In 1948, when tensions between the allies ran high over who would retain possession over Berlin, Halvorsen's habit of dropping small parcels of treats to children below grew to a full-fledged aerial resupply mission to prevent the city from becoming a Soviet hostage. The Berlin Airlift became one of the earliest nonviolent victories of the allies in their decades-long rivalry with the soviet powers.