"George Bush is so dumb..."

[SparrowHawk62]

January 4, 2005

Today, during an afternoon conference that wrapped up my project of the last 18 months, one of my Euro colleagues tossed this out to no one in particular: "See, this is why George Bush is so dumb, there's a disaster (tsunami) in the world and he sends an Aircraft Carrier."

After which he and many of my Euro colleagues laughed out loud and then they looked at me. I wasn't laughing, and neither was my Hindi friend sitting next to me, who has lost family in the disaster. I'm afraid I was "unprofessional", I let it loose -

"Hmmm, let's see, what would be the ideal ship to send to a disaster, now what kind of ship would we want? Something with its own inexhaustible power supply? Something that can produce 900,000 gallons of fresh water a day from sea water? Something with its own airfield? So that after producing the fresh water, it could help distribute it? Something with 4 hospitals and lots of open space for emergency supplies? Something with a global communications facility to make the coordination of disaster relief in the region easier? Well "Franz", we peasants in America call that kind of ship an "Aircraft Carrier."

We have 12 of them. How many do you have? Oh that's right, NONE.

Lucky for you and the rest of the world, we are the kind of people who share. Even with people we don't like. In fact, if memory serves, once upon a time we peasants spent a ton of money and lives rescuing people who we had once tried to kill and who tried to kill us. Do you know who those people were? That's right Franz, Europeans. There is a French Aircraft carrier? Where is it? Right where it belongs! In France of course! Oh why should the French Navy dirty their uniforms helping people on the other side of the globe. How simplesse... The day an American does not have to move a European out of the way to help in some part of the world it will be a great day in the world..." The room fell silent.

My Hindi friend then said quietly to the Euros: "Can you let your hatred of George Bush end for just one minute? There are people dying! And what are your countries doing? Amazon.com has helped more than France has. You all have a role to play in the world, why can't you see that? Thank God for the US Navy, they don't have to come and help, but they are. They helped you once and you should all thank God they did. They didn't have to, and no one but them would have done so. I'm ashamed of you all..."

He left the room, shaking and in tears. The frustration of being on the other side of the globe, unable to do anything to assist and faced with people who could not set aside their asininity long enough to reach out and help was too much for him to bear.

I just shook my head and left. The Euros stood speechless. Later in the break room, one of the laughing Euros caught me and extended his hand in an apology. I asked him where he was from, he said "a town outside of Berlin." He is a young man, in his early 20's. I asked him if he knew of a man named Gail Halvorsen. He said no. I said "that's a shame" and walked away to find my Hindi friend.

For those of you who may not remember, Gail Halvorsen was the transport pilot responsible for the "candy drop" during the Berlin airlift. They called him the "Candy Bomber" as he dropped goodies for all the Berlin children.

Matt Archer, BOEING Flight Operations

[Packo]

What a great story.....Thanks!

Pack

[Seascamp]

Sounds to me like the usual flack patterns put up in Western Europe. They gave Pres. Reagan a real hard time and some new names as well. In this instance, I sniff some media sponsored appeasement going on. The Indonesian Islamic fundamentalists were totally anxious about a US attack carrier in the neighborhood and were hollering like crazy.
In the meantime Berlin has the third largest Turkish population in the world and when some Islamic fundamentalists somewhere in the world itches, Berlin scratches. So if the Berlin Fritz was being mouthy, it is highly likely he was just aping some stupid mind-set being generated by the Berlin?s nervous environment and the need to keep their Turks from being counter productive and/or disruptive. And we think we have immigrations problems. What they have in Berlin is the hair of the tail wagging the dog, big time.

Scamp

[SuperScout]

Thanks for that great story! Hopefully, those Euros who have the capacity to feel shame, maybe both of them, will go home and tell someof their friends and family the truths that were revealed to them by the Boeing rep.

[Jerry D]

Three cheers for the "Berlin Airlift" the largest I think to this day mobilization of air transport in the history of Aviation. And 100% successful see the following.
--------------------------------------------
THE BERLIN AIRLIFT ( A Brief History )
by Mark Vaughn

In the early hours of June 24, 1948 by order of Joseph Stalin Russia halted all traffic into and out of the Russian sector of Berlin at Marienborn, which was the russian checkpoint located nearly one hundred miles from the city of Berlin. Stalin also cut off all electricity to the city of Berlin claiming "Technical Difficulties". General Clay who was the Military Governor of Germany at the time contacted General Curtis LeMay who was the Commander of the United States Air Forces in Europe and asked him if they could start flying food supplies into Berlin. General LeMay agreed and the airlift started on 24 June, 1948. At the beginning of the airlift General LeMay had hoped to concentrate the men of the 60th and the 61st Troop Carrier Group at Rhine Main AFB which had one 6,000 yard runway. Rhine Main had been used as a fighter station after the war by the Air Force and was composed entirly of "Marston" steel matting.

At the beginning of the airlift there were three supplying airfields: Rhein Main and Wiesbaden in the American zone, and Weinstorf in the British zone. However, by the end of the Airlift there would be nine airfields. All six would be located in the British zone to cut down the length of time of flying supplies into Berlin. The only route into Berlin was by means of three twenty mile wide corridors across the Soviet zone of Berlin. Once the allied forces were over the the city, western aircraft shared airspace with seven Soviet airfields.

At the start of the airlift the main aircraft used was the C-47 and they first were to carry 80-tons of milk, flour and medicine into the suffering city of Berlin. The American name for the Berlin Airlift was first called " The LeMay Coal and Feed Delivery Service". The british called it "Operation Plainfare". The primary goal of Russia was to force the United states, Britian and France out of Berlin. As you can see from the map at the top of the page, western Berlin was comperable to an island surrounded by a sea of red which was the Russian occupied zone.

On July 2nd, 1948 Britians' Lt. General Brian K. Robertson demanded after confering with the U.S. and French leaders that the russians lift the entire blockade. On July 14th Russia informed the western powers that they no longer had any right to be in Berlin and that the blockade was invoked to protect "The economy of the soviet zone". The russians claimed that by setting up a west German government, issueing seperate currency and through other alleged violations of "Big Four" agreements on Germany and Berlin, the west had rendered "Null and Void its' Right" to participate in the occupation of Berlin. Moscow asserted that West Berlin "is in the center of the Soviet zone and is part of that zone".

The Western reaction to the allegations made by the Soviet Union was responded to during the Anglo-American, French meeting in London that began on July 15th. The Russians were told that no "Threats, pressure or other actions" could squeez the United States out of Berlin. Ex Major General William J. ( Wild Bill ) Donovan, Wartime OSS Director, declared on July 17, 1948 "The place to make a stand against Russia is right here in Berlin. This in not a Cold War. It is Hot as Hell...Their motives are just what the Soviets have said - to stop the ERP - and what they have not said - to drive us out of Europe. If the soviets want war they can start it 500 miles to the west just as well as here."

On July 17-19th 1948, Sixty B-29 Bombers landed at Scampton, Waddington and Marram England. Six RAF Vampire jet fighters reached Montreal from England on July 16th. Sixteen F-80 Shooting Stars reached Greenland on July 17th, bound for Germany just in case the Russians thought of cutting the air link to Berlin. During that time, General Clay was asked if the U.S. War Department had given him permission to start the airlift. General Clay responded by saying "I did not ask permission". So the Berlin Airlift was actually started without President Harry S. Truman's permission.

Also in July of 1948 General William H. Tunner arrived in Weisbaden to set up an Airlift Task Force which was independent of the Headquaters USAF. By October of 1948 the Combined Airlift Task Force had been born. Up until this time there had been a set target for the amount of goods airlifted into Berlin, but provisions under the CALTF was written a sentance the which allowed the airlifters to deliver the maximum tonnage possible in the safest way possible.

Soon after the C-47's had started transporting goods into Berlin the Air Force realized that the C-47 was not large enough to haul the weight required to reach their goal of 4,500 tons a day. So General Clay orderd 72 C-54's which was approximatly eight squadrons because the C-54 could carry much more cargo thus making it possible to reach their target goal. Along with the 72 C-54's 2,500 crew members were also brought along. By September of 1948 the Airlift was transporting 5,583 tons of supplies into Berlin.

In August of 1948 my father Sgt Chester J. "Bud" Vaughn departed from Hickham Field in the Territory of Hawaii. NOTE: Hawaii had not become a state at this time. for Germany. He was attached to the 1st Air Trasport Squadron 531st Air Transport Group. Touching down in Weisbadon Germany on the 12th of August and assigned to the 47th Troop Carrier Squadron. On the 21st of August Sgt Vaughn and 3 squadrons of C-54's were transferd from Weisboden to Fassberg to help fly coal to Berlin. By the 26th of August the total tonnage delivered to Berlin by U.S. planes had reached the 100,00 mark.

In October of 1948 General Clay asked the National Security Council to grant him more DC-4 aircraft to increase the tonnage of supplies. The members of the council chose to ignore his request but then President Harry Truman asked Clay to "Step into his office" He also asked Secretary of the Army Kenneth C. Royall into his office and stated to General Clay "I'm afraid your very unhappy, General, but don't be. You're going to get your airplanes.

In November of 1948 the Russian Military authorities threatend to to force down western aircraft if they flew outside the 20 mile wide corridors regardless of weather conditions. On December 6th a C-54 taking off from Fassburg Germany crashed within walking distance of the airfield and 3 airmen were killed. Undaunted by several deaths by this time on the 20th of December 1948 "Operation Santa Clause" began to fly gifts to the children of Berlin which totaled close to 10,000 children.

By December 31st of 1948 the 100,000th airlift mission was flown since it's beginning on the 26th of June. By years end nearly 750,000 tons of supplies had been airlifted into Berlin.

The week of March 12th, 1949 was a record breaker. In just 7 days 45,683 tons of supplies were flown into Berlin. Then, in May of 1949 Russia finally announces to end the blockade after 328 days. The Airlift continued however, hoping to build a 200,00 ton supply reserve in Berlin. Then in July of 1949 The U.S. and Brittian announce plans to phase out the Berlin Airlift by October 31, 1949.

Jack Coulter, Colorful Airlift Commander
by Edwin Gere

In the early weeks of the Berlin airlift, many American airmen moved to Fassberg RAF station in northern Germany, an air base much closer to Berlin than either Wiesbaden or Frankfurt, and therefore more strategically situated for shorter and more frequent deliveries to the blockaded city. Named to command the American operation there was Colonel Theron ?Jack? Coulter, an affable young officer, not quite 35 years of age. He was selected for the Fassberg post because of his ability to work well with the British, who maintained a strong presence on the base and directed numerous ground operations, including the loading of coal onto Berlin bound aircraft.



One airlift veteran who remembers both Colonel Coulter and his glamorous movie star wife, Connie Bennett, is Staff Sergeant Calvin R. Haynes of Biloxi, Mississippi, who was assigned as a crew chief to flight line duty at Fassberg. Cal clearly remembers one occasion in the early autumn of 1948 when a C-54 pilot aborted his impending flight to Berlin after he had started engines, muttering something about inoperative warning lights. When Colonel Coulter heard about it, he and Connie hurried to the flight line to see what might be wrong with the aircraft, parked at an odd angle, out of line with other C-54s neatly arrayed on the tarmac. After carefully looking over the Skymaster, Coulter exclaimed, ?Why this bird is all right; I can fly it to Berlin right now.? Sergeant Haynes was pressed into service as fire guard, Coulter climbed into the left seat to take the controls, Connie slipped into the copilot?s seat, Coulter barked to the flight engineer, ?Let?s go,? and together the three hauled ten tons of coal to the blockaded city. News of this act of derring-do spread quickly around the air base, adding to Coulter?s growing image as a colorful military commander with a flair for the dramatic. Base airmen loved it.



Always ready for a good time, Connie and husband Jack on another occasion organized a party for Fassberg NCOs and airmen at the Sudbahnhof in Celle, a favorite haunt of both RAF and USAF airmen. A special train carried the partygoers from Fassberg to Celle on that evening in autumn 1948, and the gaiety of the occasion was enlivened by a noisy oompah band. The few wives present with their husbands were happy, but many bachelor airmen attending were alone, so an army truck was dispatched to the Ratskeller to round up some German fr?uleins to help balance out matters. In short order about two dozen girls arrived, and the party picked up speed. Connie asked Sergeant Bill Korndorfer for a dance and under the increasing tempo of the oompah band the couple staggered and fell down. Moments later another dancing couple slipped and almost fell but kept their balance. Connie?s apt retort was ?Copycats!? Jack Coulter and his NCO friends roared.

These stories are adapted from chapter three of the book, The Unheralded: Men and Women of the Berlin Blockade and Airlift. Trafford Publishing.