Berlin Airlift 1948 Discussion – Hosted by Secaf Frank Kendall

Berlin Airlift 1948 Discussion – Hosted by Secaf Frank Kendall

Berlin Airlift Roundtable Discussion (Hosted by SECAF Frank Kendall)

Hello I’m Dr Edward Goldstein with Air Force public affairs we’re honored to have with us four guests who have unique insights into a major world event that happened 75 years ago this summer — the Berlin Airlift we’re delighted to have with us retired Air Force Colonel Wolfgang Samuel who is a 13 year old German National actually witnessed the Berlin airlift his family then immigrated to the United States and in a twist of fate he joined the ranks of the Airmen who were his Heroes back in 1948.

Listen:

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Also with us is Lieutenant Colonel Bjorn Jason Jansen the air attache at the German  embassy to the United States.  With this too is Mr Eddie IDE who carries on the flame of our great Berlin airlift veterans whose wonderful  work with their Association and we’re honored to have with us Mike Halverson the proud son of the Beloved Candy Bomber the  late Colonel Gail Halverson

Before we move forward I’d like to invite for opening remarks our 26th Secretary of the Air Force The Honorable Frank Kendall Mr secretary thanks look it’s great to be with you and with this fantastic group of panelists uh I’m going to be in a listening mode today  because I’m gonna I’m hoping to learn a lot from these people and enjoy uh the interaction we’re going to have.

The Berlin airlift by sheer coincidence uh occurred uh at the time that I was born and I just realized that this morning so I know if that makes me feel older or or what but uh it’s an interesting coincidence, and I’ve also been reflecting on my own trips to Berlin over the years I made a trip to Berlin in the 70s with the height of the Cold War and at that point it was just as isolated as it had been in 1948 as an American officer serving in in West Germany.

I was able to drive to Berlin uh see the Berlin Wall first hand and see the environment in which uh Gail Elverson had had done so much to to keep the peace and to contribute to the the security and safety and the welfare of the people of Berlin.

I was back there again about uh 10 or so 20 years later after the Berlin Wall had come down and Berlin had United and Germany itself at United to visit what was basically a different world out of the isolation of the Cold War and into a modern vibrant United Germany and we have someone here from from that Germany today so I think we’re gonna have a fantastic discussion.

This was a heroic effort and it echoes into the recent evacuation of Afghanistan where the mobility component of the United States Air Force and in 1948 it was a brand new United States Air Force has only been formed about a year earlier.  I stepped up and said we think we have a way to deal with this problem this is impressed upon us without having to go through armed conflict, without possibly initiating World War III.

We can fly what Berlin needs into Berlin and the and the operation it was mounted was uh unprecedented in terms of the amount of tonnage the numbers of aircraft the numbers of people involved and it saved Berlin and it kept us out of World War III as remarkable accomplishment and I’m delighted to have the opportunity to commemorate it today.