Gail Seymour Halvorsen

Gail Seymour Halvorsen is an unsung hero of the community of West Berlin during the blockade of 1948-1949. He still lives today though (aged 95). He helped the children during that hard time when food, water, and other supplies were scarce. He might have saved their lives and freedom, including giving them something they will never forget.

Gail Halvorsen (middle) in the 1940s (meetthemormons.com (meetthemormons.com))

Gail Seymour Halvorsen was an Air Force pilot. This whole thing came to be when he saw a plane fly over him as a kid in Utah and Idaho. He didn't fly anything major until the bombing of Pearl Harbor. He saw war being waged all around him. When 1948 and the blockade rolled around, he was a part of "Operation Vittles". This was where they "bombed" essentials like water and flour down daily. One day, he saw a group of children behind a fence. They didn't ask for food. All they said was, "When the weather gets so bad that you can't land, don't worry about us. We can get by on little food. But if we lose our freedom, we may never get it back. Just don't give up on us." That's exactly what he did. He never gave up on them.

He had done several things to be qualified as an unsung hero, showing compassion and perseverance. In doing what he did, he received little credit for his work. He is the definition of unsung hero. He advocated for the children of Germany. He gave them candy and hope. Gail helped the children when they were in a bad time. They might not have even survived had had he not done anything about the children he saw behind the fence. He persevered in not giving up on them. They could have easily lost their freedom or lives, but he never let that happen.

This hero has changed me because it makes me want to help others, primarily in my community. It might not be in as big a way as he did but I'm still going to regardless. He shows what a true hero is and I honor him for that. Even if it's something difficult, I'll never give up.