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Friends Always - Berliners Commemorate Berlin Airlift
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- Blue skies over Berlin made for a perfect day at Tempelhof.
- (© dpa - Report)
Berliners flooded the giant hall of Berlin's Tempelhof Airport when the doors finally opened on Tuesday, May 12, 2009. They came to experience history.
In 1948 and 1949, Tempelhof was the main destination for the "raisin bombers" of the Berlin Airlift, the airplanes that supplied more the two million citizens of Berlin by air during a Soviet blockade of the Western part of the city.
The history of the Berlin Airlift came to life for the tens of thousands that followed the invitation of Berlin's mayor, Klaus Wowereit, to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the end of the blockade.
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- Berlin Mayor Klaus Wowereit (at right) honored the famous American "Candy Bomber" Gail Halvorsen, 88, at the May 12 event in Berlin.
- (© dpa - Report)
It was not the sunshine, American milkshakes and performances, however, that drew most people to Tempelhof on Tuesday.
"I am here to say thank you to the veterans of the Airlift - thank you for saving the freedom of West Berlin," was a common sentiment heard throughout the day.
Many visitors still feel deep gratitude to the Airlift veterans. On behalf of the citizens of Berlin, young students presented a medal to each of the veterans during the official commemoration ceremony.
Earlier, Franz Josef Jung, the Federal Minister of Defense, and Mayor Wowereit had honored the 78 men who died during the Airlift operations in a wreath-laying ceremony at the Airlift memorial.
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- German Defense Minister Franz Josef Jung greets officers at Tempelhof.
- (© dpa - Report)
Jung called the Airlift "a truly historic effort" that had "made former enemies friends".
A hint of melancholy was, however, in the air - Tempelhof Airport is now closed and awaits re-modeling - as more than 160,000 Berliners came to celebrate together with the veterans.
Yet Berliners would not be Berliners without their distinct sense of humor. Asked what the significance of the Airlift was, one older visitor exclaimed, with a twinkle in his eye: "Nu ja, det war nen janz schönet Jebrumme da am Himmel!" - "Well, there was quite a bit of noise in the skies!"
Then, he took his grandson to meet a Berlin Airlift veteran.
