Spanish Fork residents attend tribute to ‘Candy Bomber’

SPANISH FORK, Utah — Residents in Spanish Fork remembered Col. Gail Halversen with a reenactment of his legendary candy drop.

A C-54 Skymaster plane, like the one Halvorsen flew, dropped little parachutes with candy attached to thousands of people on hand to see the event Saturday.

Halverson was known for dropping candy from his plane as a treat for children in Berlin following World War II.

In 1948, Halvorsen was one of the pilots in the U.S. airlift that saved two million Germans from starvation as the Soviet Union blockaded West Berlin in an attempt to take it from the Allies.

Halvorsen flew planeload after planeload of flour and coal.

He died in February.

His daughter, Denise Williams, attended the event in Spanish Fork.

Halvorsen children reflect on ‘Candy Bomber’ legacy

She said her father’s legacy will never be forgotten. “To us it represents our dad’s legacy, passing on to the future generation,” Williams said.

A modern C-17 Globemaster 3 escorted the C-54. The Globemaster is called “The Spirit of the Candy Bomber.”