Gail Halvorsen was born in Salt Lake City, Utah on October 10, 1920, and grew up on small farms in Utah and Idaho. He credits his parents, the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the sugar beet farm for teaching him the principles he lives—attitude, gratitude, and service before self.

In 1941 he earned a private pilot license under the non-college Civilian Pilot Training Program. Almost concurrently Gail joined the Civil Air Patrol as a pilot. Pearl Harbor motivated him to join the United States Army Air Corps in June 1942. His fighter pilot training was with the British Royal Air Force in Miami, Oklahoma, after which he was returned to the Army Air Corps and assigned flight duty in 1944 with foreign transport operations in the South Atlantic Theater.

After WW II he flew the Berlin Airlift, “Operation Vittles,” due to the Russian blockade of Berlin from June 1948 to 12 May 49. The Airlift would feed nearly 2.5 million Berliners for almost a year, which was one of the greatest humanitarian relief efforts in history and helped prevent World War III.

During the Airlift he became known as, “Uncle Wiggly Wings,” the “Chocolate Pilot” and the “Berlin Candy Bomber,” when he had the idea of dropping candy parachutes to about thirty Berlin children he met at the barbed wire fence next to the runway at Tempelhof airport. After talking to these children and giving them all the gum in his pocket—just two sticks—he promised them he would deliver more the next day and they would know him because he would “wiggle his wings.” This operation grew and was known as “Operation Little Vittles.” In the end, Gail and other pilots dropped 23 tons of candy and chocolate to the children of Berlin. The gesture of a kind heart started a love story between the children of Berlin and this American pilot. Gail’s act of kindness changed hearts, and former enemies became friends.

In 1949 to 1952, under the Air Force Institute of Technology program, Gail received his Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Aeronautical Engineering. 1952 to 1970 he was assigned research and development duties with Air Force Systems Command in aircraft and, beginning in 1958, research and development and operational duties in the Air Force Space Program. The Titan III Space Launch vehicle was one of his special projects. He was a rocket scientist!

From 1970 to 1974 Colonel Halvorsen was assigned as the Commander of Tempelhof Central Airport in Berlin and USAF Representative to the city of Berlin. During this time he also earned a Master's degree in Counseling and Guidance.

Gail retired from the Air Force in 1974 with over 8000 flying hours. From 1976 until 1986 he was the Assistant Dean of Student Life at Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah. In 1986-1987 and 1995-1997 he and his wife Alta, served LDS missions for their church in England and Russia.

Continuously involved in sharing his story, he participated in a C-130 night food resupply drop over Bosnia and he was a pilot on the Berlin Airlift Historical Foundation C-54, the “Spirit of Freedom,” across the North Atlantic for 69 days and 27 air shows in four European countries. He flew with a C-130 supply run to Albania and visited Camp Hope, a Kosova refugee camp to deliver candy, toys and school supplies to the Kosova children at that camp. He was inducted into the Airlift/Tanker Hall of Fame and into the Utah Aviation Hall of Fame. A new generation Air Force aircraft loader (25,000-pound capacity) was named the “Halvorsen Loader”. His favorite activities are to visit schools, share his story with the children and participate in candy parachute drop re-enactments.

In addition to other awards and Air Force decorations, he has been awarded the Legion of Merit; Cheney Award 1948-49; Ira Eaker “Fellow” Award; Service Cross to the Order of Merit from the President of Germany 1974; The Distinguished Humanitarian Award from the Institute of German American Relations; Eric Warburg Pries; Lufthansa Life Time Service Award; Red Cross Life-Time Service Award; and the Congressional Gold Medal.

Gail married Alta Jolley of Zion National Park on 16 April 1949. They have five children, 24 grandchildren, and 59 great-grandchildren. After Alta’s passing in 1999, he married Lorraine Pace of Arizona. Col. Gail Halvorsen passed away February 16, 2022, in Provo, Utah, at the age of 101.

Gail Seymour Halvorsen