Friends Always - Events

Traveling Photo Exhibitions

: A view of the "Friends Always" traveling photo exhibition at a July 2008 stop in Delaware.; (© German Embassy)

Browse through our calendar of events to find out when traveling exhibitions featuring historic photographs and objects pertaining to the Berlin Airlift are coming to a location near you!

Two separate exhibitions are now touring the country through mid-2009. Each features stunning historic black-and-white photos illustrating the daring and unprecedented Berlin Airlift and showcasing the people - and aircraft - that made it happen, all with texts explaining their significance.

These traveling exhibitions are supported by the the German Embassy and German Consulates across the United States as part of the "Friends Always" campaign celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Airlift.

Date	Location	Link
mid-June- late July	Chantilly, Virginia	National Air and Space Museum Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
late May- late June	Charlotte, North Carolina	University of North Carolina
late July- late August	Indianapolis, Indiana	Indiana War Memorial
late July- late August	Ashland, Nebraska	Strategic Air & Space Museum
early Sept.- mid-Oct.	Wright-Patterson AFB, Ohio	National Museum of the USAF

Presentations by US Filmmaker Robert E. Frye - 2008-2009

: Bob Frye speaking at a Friends Always event in 2008.; (© Marc Beutler)

The German Embassy also sponsored the Robert Frye Speaker Series, during which American filmmaker Bob Frye toured US military bases across the United States from early 2008 to early 2009 to bring the Berlin Airlift, the 20th-century history of Berlin and German-American relations alive for young and old alike.

For over 40 years Frye has been a producer of news programs and documentaries. His Berlin documentaries - Berlin: Journey of a City, The Berlin Airlift and Berlin Metamorphoses - have been compiled into a "Berlin Trilogy" DVD set, complete with producer's notes and historic archival newsreels. All three films were broadcast on public television and Berlin Metamorphoses was a selection at the Hamptons International Film Festival in October 2003.

Frye spent 20 years in network television, 14 of them as a producer for ABC News. His credits include executive producer for ABC World News Tonight with the late Peter Jennings, executive producer of Good Morning America, senior producer for World News Tonight based in London and Washington producer for the ABC Evening News.

Andrews Air Force Base Open House Honors Heroes of the Berlin Airlift and Celebrates German-American Friendship

: Enlarge image; Former "candy bomber" Gail Halvorsen and German Ambassador Klaus Scharioth share a laugh at Andrews Air Force Base in May 2008.; (© German Embassy)

On the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift long-serving pilots and military leaders, curious visitors and dedicated diplomats celebrated the enduring German-American friendship it inspired during the 2008 Joint Service Open House at Andrews Air Force Base near Washington.

German Ambassador Klaus Scharioth and "Candy Bomber" Gail S. Halvorsen, Col. USAF (ret.), the airlift pilot who first dropped chocolate bars from tiny handcrafted parachutes to grateful Berlin children, both spoke at an opening ceremony for the annual air show on May 17, 2008.

"Today, Berlin is again the capital of the united Germany. But 60 years ago, freedom and the democratic future of Germany were at stake when the Soviets blockaded the city," said Ambassador Scharioth.

"The United States and her Allies saved more than two million men, women and children in West Berlin," he said.

: The crew of the Spirit of Freedom at Andrews Air Force Base.; (© German Embassy)

"I stand in awe before what these Americans did for my country: for 322 days, in more than 270, 000 flights, the US Air Force, working with the Army and the Navy, brought more than 1.7 million tons of supplies into the city – everything from potatoes to an entire power plant," he added.

"The common effort made allies and friends out of former enemies ... That transformation was a miracle of friendship."

The opening ceremony was kicked off with the words "Friends Always" - the joint motto of Andrews AFB, the Department of Defense and the German Embassy for the 60th anniversary - written in huge white letters across a bright blue sky by several aircraft.

It also included flights manned by two German pilots: Col. Ludger Bette in a German C-160 Transall and Lt. Col. Marc Beutler in an American aircraft, the C-17 "Spirit of Berlin".

In a nod to the special occasion, Ambassador Scharioth moreover dropped candy to children from the historic C-54 "Spirit of Freedom" aircraft with Halvorsen and viewed a photo exhibit about the Berlin Airlift that is touring the United States from mid-2008 to mid-2009.

: Members of the German Embassy team with Gail Halvorsen at Andrews Air Force Base in May 2008.; (© German Embassy)

The German Embassy distributed "Friends Always" giveaways, including pins, pens, brochures, t-shirts and baseball hats. It also partnered with Andrews AFB to host a "Friends Always Hangarfest" at which commemorative beer steins were handed out to more than 1,000 invitees. The Navy's Blue Angels and the Army's Golden Knights were among the esteemed guests honored at the party.

The three-day air show drew more than 250,000 visitors to see aircraft ranging from modern fighter jets, including the Navy's elite aerial ballet troupe the Blue Angels, to antiques such as the "Spirit of Freedom", a Douglas C-54E R-5D that flew in the Berlin Airlift and is now maintained for educational purposes by the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation as a "flying museum".

Its crew, led by pilot Tim Chopp, were on hand to answer questions from visitors who boarded the aircraft. "Thousands of people have come to see the 'Spirit of Freedom' this weekend," said Chopp, the founder and president of the New Jersey-based foundation.

Once inside, they were greeted by Helga Johnson, who was a girl of 14 during the Airlift and now acts as a self-proclaimed "Berliner mascot", touring the country with the "Spirit of Freedom" to talk about how this experience shaped her life - including an early decision to immigrate to the United States.

"I'm a very proud American citizen," Johnson tells people who board the C-54. "It's the best country in the world, no matter what."

Meanwhile Halvorsen, a sprightly 87, tirelessly greeted visitors and dropped candy from the "Spirit of Freedom" to eager children - all with a smile and a twinkle in his bright blue eyes.

"So I told the children in Berlin I'd be back with more candy - if they agreed to share it," he said before one group of youngsters waiting to catch chocolate bars attached to miniature "parachutes" he tossed from the plane's windows with a wide circular swing of his lanky arm. "It is sharing that really enriches your life - not making a lot of money."

Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation

The Berlin Airlift Veterans Association