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Berlin Mayor
Eberhard Diepgen and Air Force Gen. John P. Jumper, U.S.
Air Forces in Europe commander, unveil the C-17
"Spirit of Berlin" during a ceremony May 14 at
Tempelhof Airport. About 8,000 people watched as President
Clinton and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl dedicated the
aircraft during the first Berlin Airlift 50th anniversary
event. (Photo by Senior Master Sgt. Dale Warman) |
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Berlin resident
Mercedes Wild talks about her experiences during the
Berlin Airlift as German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, President
Clinton and retired Air Force Col. Gail Halvorsen look on.
About 8,000 people watched as Clinton and Kohl dedicated
the Air Force C-17 "Spirit of Berlin" during the
50th anniversary event. (Photo by Senior Master Sgt. Dale
Warman)
decoration (behind) by USMVC - Berlin |
BERLIN (AFNS) --
Thousands of Berliners and veterans turned out for a ceremony on
the sun-drenched tarmac of Tempelhof Airport May 14, where the
leaders of Germany and the United States dedicated an aircraft of
today to a city saved from a Soviet blockade 50 years ago.
President Bill Clinton
and German Chancellor Helmut Kohl dedicated an Air Force C-17
Globemaster III as the "Spirit of Berlin" during the
first event to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the Berlin
Airlift. The airlift was a U.S.-led effort to supply West Berlin's
2.5 million people with food and fuel June 1948 to September 1949.
During a speech
frequently interrupted by roaring cheers from the audience, the
president noted how the United States and Great Britain came to
the aid of defeated Germany.
"The last
battlefield of World War II had become the first battlefield of
the Cold War," Clinton said. "On June 24, 1948, Stalin
threw down a gauntlet, refusing to allow supplies to be sent to
Berlin. It was war by starvation, with more than 2 million lives
hanging in the balance."
The president said
airlift was the only answer, although many doubted it would work.
"The fate of free
Berlin hung by a thread, the thread of air support," he said.
"No one really thought it was possible to supply a city by
air. A few visionaries, however, were convinced it could be
done."
Clinton paid tribute
to the Americans, British and Germans who died during the airlift,
and to all Berlin Airlift veterans who we said showed bravery and
kindness as they became "protectors instead of
occupiers" in Germany.
The German chancellor
thanked the veterans and noted that millions of American military
personnel have served in Germany over the last 50 years. Kohl has
been chancellor for 16 years and led reunification of East and
West Germany in 1990.
"The Berlin
population learned what it meant not to be alone in the hour of
need," Kohl said. "This city owes its survival and
freedom during the Cold War to the firm resolve of the United
States and our other Western allies."
Clinton and Kohl
reviewed a formation of U.S. airmen and listened to firsthand
accounts of the airlift from retired Col. Gail Halvorsen, a Berlin
Airlift pilot, and from Mercedes Wild, who was a young girl in
Berlin during the operation. The two leaders also spent time with
children from Berlin's John F. Kennedy School.
As Clinton and Kohl
looked on, Gen. John P. Jumper, U.S. Air Forces in Europe
commander, and Berlin Mayor Eberhard Diepgen, revealed
"Spirit of Berlin" painted on the side of the C-17 from
Charleston Air Force Base, S.C. Jumper also presented the mayor
with a model of the aircraft to be displayed in Berlin's city
hall.
Many veterans attended
the event and were present at a wreath-laying ceremony May 12,
which marked the 49th anniversary of the end of the Soviet
blockade.
U.S. Air Fors have
more events planned for May and June, including an open house May
27 at Rhein-Main Air Base, Germany, the launching pad for many
Berlin Airlift missions. More information is available on the
USAFE Berlin Airlift web site at .
-- USAFENS --
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