#aagth ,,congress  #ast ,session  ,s4   
#bead  ,,an ,,act  ,to rename the ,provo
 ,veterans ,center in ,orem1 ,utah1 as  
the ,col4 ,gail ,s4 ,halvorsen ,candy   
,bomber ,veterans ,center4  #a4         
,designation of the ,col4 ,gail ,s4     
,halvorsen ,candy ,bomber ,veterans     
,center  7a7 ,findings ,congress finds  
the following3 7#a7 ,gail ,halvorsen was
 born in ,salt ,lake ,city1 ,utah1 on   
,october #aj1 #aibj1 and spent his youth
 with his family on small farms in ,utah
 and ,idaho4  7#b7 ,after a brief stint 
at ,utah ,state ,university1 ,gail      
,halvorsen joined the ,civilian ,pilot  
,training ,program where he earned his  
pilot's license in #aida4 ,during that  
same year1 ,halvorsen joined the ,civil 
,air ,patrol as a pilot4  7#c7 ,gail    
,halvorsen joined the ,united ,states   
,army ,air ,corps in #aidb and trained  
flying fighter jets with the ,royal ,air
 ,force4 ,upon his return from training1
 he was assigned to fly transport       
missions in the ,south ,atlantic        

,theater4  7#d7 ,after ,world ,war ,,ii 
and the division of ,berlin into        
occupation zones1 disputes broke out    
between the ,western ,allies and the    
,soviet ,union over the future of       
,europe4  7#e7 ,negotiations            
deteriorated1 and in ,june of #aidh     
,soviet forces locked down all land     
routes connecting ,western ,germany with
 the allied portions of ,berlin4        
,approximately #b1jjj1jjj people in     
,west ,berlin were left completely      
isolated4 ,starvation1 poverty1 and     
desperate want ensued4  7#f7 ,in an     
effort to alleviate the immense human   
suffering1 the allies decided to drop   
supplies to people of ,west ,berlin from
 the air until a diplomatic solution to 
the blockade could be reached4 ,termed  
by ,united ,states forces ,operation    
,vittles1 the ,berlin ,airlift began on 
,june #bf1 #aidh4  7#g7 ,gail ,halvorsen
 was assigned to ,germany in #aidh to   
work as an airlift pilot where he flew  
,c-#dg and ,c-#ed cargo planes as part  

of ,operation ,vittles4  7#h7 ,while on 
mission at ,tempelhof ,airport in       
,berlin1 ,halvorsen noticed a group of  
,german children standing just outside  
the barb wire fence4  7#i7 ,the children
 were destitute and clearly had very    
little to eat4 ,halvorsen gave the      
children two sticks of gum he had in his
 pocket1 which they split into little   
pieces to share among themselves4  7#aj7
 ,colonel ,halvorsen was deeply affected
 by the experience and wanted to do more
 to help4 ,he promised the children he  
would drop more candy to them from his  
plane as he flew his regular airlift    
missions4  7#aa7 ,halvorsen told the    
children they would recognize his plane 
by a back-and-forth waggle of his wings 
as he flew over4  7#ab7 ,colonel        
,halvorsen enlisted his copilot and     
engineer in the project and began       
attaching their candy rations to        
miniature parachutes which they dropped 
from their plane to the starving        
children below4  7#ac7 ,the children of 

,berlin gave ,halvorsen many nicknames  
including ,uncle ,wiggly ,wings1 ,the   
,chocolate ,flier1 ,the ,gum ,drop ,kid1
 and ,the ,chocolate ,uncle4 ,he        
eventually became known around the world
 as ,the ,candy ,bomber4  7#ad7         
,lieutenant ,general ,william ,h4       
,turner1 who directed the ,berlin       
,airlift1 learned about ,halvorsen's    
efforts and officially expanded the idea
 into a full-blown operation known as   
,little ,vittles as a play on the       
broader operation's name4  7#ae7 ,as the
 candy drops continued1 word of         
,operation ,little ,vittles reached the 
,united ,states4 ,families1             
schoolchildren1 and candymakers in the  
,united ,states began contributing candy
 and homemade parachutes that ,halvorsen
 and other pilots could drop4  7#af7    
,when the ,berlin ,airlift ended1 an    
estimated #bej1jjj parachutes containing
 approximately #ba tons of candy had    
been dropped by ,halvorsen and his      
fellow airmen as a part of ,operation   

,little ,vittles4  7#ag7 ,halvorsen     
retired from the military in #aigd after
 #ca years of service and more than     
#h1jjj hours of flying time4  7#ah7     
,since his retirement1 ,halvorson has   
continued his humanitarian service4 ,he 
has voluntarily represented the ,united 
,states ,air ,force and the ,united     
,states abroad and has re-enacted his   
famous candy drops several times in     
,berlin and around the world4  7#ai7    
,halvorsen has also been a tremendous   
boon to his community through church    
service and other local contributions4  
7#bj7 ,gail ,halvorsen turned #ajj years
 old on ,october #aj1 #bjbj4  7b7       
,designation ,the ,provo ,veterans      
,center of the ,department of ,veterans 
,affairs located at #cfj ,state ,street1
 ,orem1 ,utah1 shall after the date of  
the enactment of this ,act be known and 
designated as the ,col4 ,gail ,s4       
,halvorsen ,candy ,bomber ,veterans     
,center4  7c7 ,reference ,any reference 
in any law1 regulation1 map1 document1  

paper1 or other record of the ,united   
,states to the veterans center referred 
to in subsection 7b7 shall be considered
 to be a reference to the ,col4 ,gail   
,s4 ,halvorsen ,candy ,bomber ,veterans 
,center4  ,passed the ,senate ,december 
#ah 7legislative day1 ,december #ag71   
#bjba4,secretary