Joe Jung: Music
Dear Chocolate Uncle
"Operation Little Vittles, a symbol of American good will, was originated by a USAF airlift pilot, Lt. Gail S. Halvorsen. Impressed by the friendliness of the German youngsters outside Tempelhof airdrome, he promised to drop candy to them the next day. He did as promised and continued on succeeding days, using handkerchiefs and scraps of cloth as miniature parachutes. Word of his personal humanitarian mission spread to the U.S. and eventually donations of thousands of pounds of candy and hundreds of handkerchiefs and other pieces of scrap cloth reached him. By Jan. 1949, more than 250,000 midget parachutes with treats attached had been dropped. When the crowds of children awaiting his C-54 grew too large for the youngster's safety, his crew dropped the candy in other sections where they saw children playing. Other candy went to schools and to children confined to Berlin hospitals. In recognition of his action and as a symbol of appreciation for the entire airlift operation, Lt. Halvorsen received the Cheney Award for 1948 ...for an act of valor, extreme fortitude, or self-sacrifice in a humanitarian interest... Ironically, Soviet propaganda attempted to discredit Halvorsen's gesture, noting that the hundreds of children had severely damaged a cemetary near tempelhof while chasing candy dropped at the site." --From US Air Force Museum
Excuse me, Sir, You don’t know me. I just saw you fly over my city. Your plane was shining brightly, your props were buzzing loudly over me. Last year your army bombed my building. Rest assured, there’s no hard feelings ‘cause you drove a madman from his reign, another one took his place, the great war may be dead for you but it’s still alive in me. The Red Men came and closed the city. The Red Men came and locked the doors. Now all the busses and the trains, they’re lock outside the walls, they’re rusty and they’re empty and they don’t have no drivers, they’re just sitting waiting like the legless fighters that all the fighting’s made. The war it split apart my family. Bullets stole me from my daddy. But now you feed me and mamma, to meet you is the first thing that I wish for. Excuse me, Sir, you don’t owe me. And I know that you know that we’re all hungry. ‘Cause you swoop down with your plane, you bring us hope to eat again, as much as you can spare, then you soar back in the air. Well, saw you and I called you and you said, “See you tomorrow! I will always bring more so that you and your city can live.” Could you send me some candy? If you parachute it down it will find me. You see, I haven’t tasted in so long, the sweet in life seems to be gone—if you send me a little I will share it with my friends ‘cause to get through this time we will have to we will have to get along. I don’t understand these cowards who starve out people’s lives for useless power, but thank you for listening, you’re nice you’re like my daddy – please don’t forget the candy – I’m not begging, I’m just tired and I could really use a hero. Goodbye.