Museum Staff

Steve Dean, featured left with students at Gilmer High School, visited his daughter's classroom for her current series on WWII. Dressed in his USAF flight suit and a WWII officers hat, Dean shares the story about the Berlin Blockade; about the Chocolate Pilot, Captain Wiggly Wings, Colonel Gail Halvorsen, and about the compassionate element of US Military Transport. Dean made a classroom presentation about the Candy Bomber, and also flies one of the museum aircraft in an exciting re-enactment of Capt Wiggly Wings dropping candy for the youth of war torn Berlin.

Mrs. Mary Jane Ham teaches duel credit high school/college courses at Gilmer High, and shared details about the Malta Conference, and how later on, Russia pushed the agreement aside and threatened the entire populace of Berlin regardless of the 'sector' in which they lived. Dean introduces the book Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot featuring a young German girl named Mercedes who receives encouragement and nutrition, thanks to the efforts of Col. Gail Halvorsen and his fellow transport pilots of the Allied Forces. Mrs. Ham then reads the entire book Mercedes and the Chocolate Pilot to the students.

Official website for the Candy Bomber is www.wigglywings.weebly.com, and the Youtube video segment featured Col Gail Halvorsen, explaining the details and importance of the Berlin Airlift, can be found here.