Colonel Gail Seymour 'Hal' Halvorsen (USAF Ret.) To Receive 2020 Annual Outstanding Aviator Award

The Wings Club Foundation, Inc. and IAWA (International Aviation Women's Association) are pleased to announce Colonel Gail Seymour "Hal" Halvorsen (USAF Ret.) as the recipient of the 2020 annual Outstanding Aviator Award. The presentation of this year's Award will take place during The Wings Club Foundation's Annual Meeting to be held on the evening of Wednesday, March 25, 2020, at The Yale Club in New York City. In addition, The Hershey Company will make a presentation to Halvorsen in recognition of the collaboration they shared seventy-two years ago.

Colonel Halvorsen is a retired Air Force officer pilot and spacecraft engineer. Born in Utah in 1920, he is known all over the world as the "Berlin Candy Bomber", "Uncle Wiggly Wings" or the "Chocolate Pilot" as he gained notoriety for dropping Hershey's Milk Chocolate bars and other sweet treats in parachutes to German children during the Berlin Airlift from 1948 to 1949. The name of the campaign was "Operation Little Vittles."

Overall, Halvorsen and other pilots sourced and dropped 23 tons of candy and chocolate to the children of Berlin. The Berlin Airlift, the largest humanitarian effort in Air Force history, is still remembered for relieving the plight of some 2.5 million beleaguered West Berlin residents.

Throughout his lifetime, Halvorsen received numerous awards and recognitions such as the Cheney Award in 1949; the Legion of Merit and the Distinguished Service Cross to the Order of Merit-Federal Republic of Germany in 1974 and the Congressional Bronze Medal (Civil Air Patrol) in 2014 to name a few. He has been invited back to Germany numerous times over the years and returned last year to celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift.

The Wings Club Foundation, Inc. is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization. Its mission is to focus on initiatives aimed at supporting scholarships for students pursuing a career in aviation or aerospace; providing programs to educate in the field of aviation and supporting charitable organizations that use aviation to help those in need. The Wings Club Foundation serves over 1,300 members including industry leaders, pilots, professionals in related service organizations and students of aviation. Since its inception in 2010, the annual Outstanding Aviator Award has been presented to iconic recipients.

The International Aviation Womens Association (IAWA) is a nonprofit association providing a worldwide network dedicated to promoting the advancement of women in the aviation and aerospace industries at all levels across the globe. IAWA sponsors informative meetings, hosts receptions and connects, publishes newsletters, and keeps its members updated on the latest industry developments.

(Source: Wings Club news release. Images from file)

FMI: www.wingsclub.org