CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. –
As you pause to recognize German-American Day on Oct. 6, you should also pause to remember an event where many of today's German and American friendships were born -- the Berlin Airlift.
When Joseph Stalin isolated Berlin by cutting off ground transportation to the city, our nation's Air Force sprung into action, starting what is unquestionably the most well-known airlift campaign in history.
Earlier this year the Berlin Air Show was held in remembrance of this time period and featured 15 flight demonstrations, including one from the Charleston C-17 Globemaster III named the "Spirit of Berlin."
The C-17 crew assigned to the 437th Airlift Wing was part of about a 90-person U.S. contingent joined with more than 1,000 exhibitors from 37 countries at the Berlin-Schoenefeld Airport, Germany.
The ceremony highlighted the accomplishments of Col. Gail Halvorsen, The Berlin Candy Bomber, and several other veterans who took part in the Berlin Airlift to bring food and supplies to West-Berliners who were cut-off during a Soviet Union blockade of all surface transportation in 1948.
From its start on June 24, 1948, to its finish on May 12, 1949, the Berlin Airlift ferried more than 2.3 million tons of necessary food, machinery, coal and other supplies to the city and its 2 million people. To complete this monumental feat, the Air Force made more than 275,000 deliveries, totaling approximately 850 flights each day, or one takeoff about every 90 seconds.
Ironically, the Air Force's Air Mobility Command still runs at the same frequency today -- around the world, an air mobility aircraft takes off every 90 seconds, 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Except now, instead of sustaining the people of Berlin, it's delivering humanitarian assistance to a host of people around the world, like in recent missions to help displaced Georgians and those here on our own soil impacted by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike.
In August, AMC was called upon to return 2,000 Georgian troops to Georgia from their deployed location in Iraq. Within 29 hours of the request being made, all 2,000 were back in their home country.
Shortly following the return of the troops, the mission to deliver humanitarian aid began. When it was done, AMC Airmen had delivered nearly 500 tons of relief supplies, including medical supplies, tents, blankets, cots, food and water. Three hundred and fifty tons of items were palletized by the 437th Aerial Port Squadron and shipped from Charleston AFB.
When Hurricanes Gustav and Ike were poised to strike the U.S., AMC was there to assist in the evacuation efforts, swiftly and safely evacuating nearly 7,000 Gulf Coast residents from harm's way, including nearly 750 critical-care and special needs patients, all in less than 36 hours. This was in addition to shipping more than 325 tons of cargo to the region.
Charleston AFB launched three C-17s and maintenance Airmen to move medical staging facilities to provide relief efforts along the Gulf Coast of Texas following destruction from Hurricane Ike.
Charleston AFB also provided aid to the city of New Orleans in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina devastated the area. Charleston C-17s evacuated 1,314 displaced persons from New Orleans and delivered thousands of pounds of relief equipment to the region.
Indeed, the Air Force's commitment to helping those in need -- whether halfway around the world or at home -- is as strong today as it was 60 years ago. That's yet another thing worth remembering this year when you pause to recognize German-American Day.