The Value of the Berlin Airlift

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Good evening...It's wonderful to be here tonight and I thank you for the invitation to address such an august group.

Thank you, Mr. Symington, for that kind introduction. I'm so pleased that you and Sylvia could be here tonight. It's quite an honor to serve as the 22nd Secretary of the Air Force, and carry on the tradition that your father started as the first. He was a momentous figure, and was a major factor in the success of the airlift we celebrate tonight.

I'd also like to thank Ms. Viola Drath, widow of Col. Francis Drath, a veteran of the Battle of the Bulge who would go on to serve as the Deputy Director of the U.S.Selective Services. Ms. Drath, your many contributions to the nation - as a journalist, author, academic and presidential adviser - speak volumes about your character and intellect. I applaud your tireless efforts to honor these patriots and for hosting this fine event. Additionally, I'd like to thank Mutual of America and its CEO, Mr. Tom Moran for his steadfast support to this event.

I'd also like to recognize:
  • Two wonderful gentlemen representing our great friend and ally, France: Gen. Rene Perret, Chair of the National Transport Association, and Col. Henri Coisne - a distinguished veteran of the French Air Force. Both are representative of their air force's commitment to excellence.
  • Col. Wil Ebel - Sir, thank you for your leadership of the Commission on Universal Remembrance, which so rightly honors the men and women who have paid the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
  • Dr. Earl Moore - Thank you for your leadership as president, and your work as the planning committee co-chair. I applaud your efforts, and appreciate the many long hours to make this night, and this week, a reality. We're also pleased to note that your son recently returned from Iraq as a colonel and was awarded the Bronze Star.
  • Ms. Ruth Stonesifer, National President of the American Gold Star Mothers, and a hearty welcome to the men from the Armed Forces Retirement Home, representing all branches of service.
  • And finally, I must mention that we're saddened that Colonel Halvorsen could not be with us tonight due to a long-standing commitment, but we look forward to seeing him at the next reunion.
Overview
We meet tonight at the confluence of a number of monumental events. Tomorrow marks the 20th anniversary of the Berlin Wall coming down. On Wednesday, we commemorate the 91st year since the guns of World War One fell silent. And throughout this week, we'll celebrate the 60th anniversary of the Berlin Airlift, perhaps the most significant airlift in the history of airpower, and recognize you, the men who were so central to its success.

Meaning of the Berlin Airlift - Then
Six decades ago, and less than five years after the end of World War II, you were thrust in the middle of America's first major test of resolve in the Cold War. The Western powers and the Soviet Union were squaring off around the world in an ideological battle, with Europe in general, and Berlin in particular, as pivotal locations. Relations between the two superpowers had been strained since the war's end; with the Soviet-led coup d'état in Czechoslovakia in February 1948, the communists' designs were made clear, with many observers noting the "power, ferocity, and scope of communist aggression" that accompanied the "first forcible communist conquest of a free government."

There was no doubt in the mind of Gen. Lucius D. Clay - the military governor of post-War Germany - what the Soviets intended: political concessions, and the embarrassment of the Allies, with the ultimate goal of driving them from Berlin. Slowly but surely, the Soviets ratcheted up the pressure beginning in April 1948, increasing restrictions on trade and travel through the Soviet-controlled sector to Berlin, one by one: placing limits on rail cargo, increasing inspections of trucks, and ejecting U.S. servicemen from the Soviet-controlled zone, to name just a few.

In all, it was as one historian described it, a calculated "campaign of harassment designed to increase pressure on the Western powers." While Stalin may not have wanted war, he was committed to achieving Soviet control by virtually every method just short of it. The Soviets clearly knew the stakes of cutting off Berlin, as the Soviet Foreign Minister noted, "What happens to Berlin, happens to Germany; what happens to Germany, happens to Europe."

General Clay played a pivotal role in the airlift; the New York Times noted that "it is no exaggeration to say that General Clay's job has been just about the most important in the world." In late June, the crisis came to a head as the Soviets "completely severed land and water" lines of communication between the Western Zones and Berlin, and "for good measure," added that they would not supply food to the citizens of the Allied-controlled sectors.

Outsiders questioned whether the allies had the fortitude to continue supplying Berlin by air, but Prime Minister Churchill and President Truman were quite clear on their resolve. "We should all have learned by now there is no safety in yielding to dictators, whether Nazis or Communists," Churchill said. An ocean away, President Truman echoed this proclamation, stating, "There is no discussion on this point. We stay in Berlin - period."

The innovations and efforts of Allied airmen
The heavy burden of this clear strategic direction, and the magnitude of the task, fell on men like you. Men of innovation and resilience...men of courage and honor... men who would accomplish the mission regardless of the challenges before them.

Standing up an operation of this type - "Operation Vittles" to the American, "Operation Plain Fare" to our British friends, and "Operation Pelican" to our Australian partners - was not easy. The responsibility for such a task fell to leaders like Gen. Curtis LeMay, who, when asked if he could haul coal, was first taken aback by the strange request, but with determination replied, "We can haul anything!" General LeMay was pivotal in getting the operation started, and actually flew many missions himself. And, after initial successes, he brought in a wide range of experts to refine the operation.

LeMay looked to men like Gen. William Tunner, who earned repute by optimizing the airlift operation in the China-Burma-India "Hump," and who had loved the Air Force so much that he turned down a job running a private air freight company, even though it would have paid him several times his government salary. "Willie the Whip," as he was endearingly known, put discipline and order into the process and immediately increased the daily tonnage and number of flights, noting "the trouble with airplanes is that they spend too much time on the ground."

In addition to depending on great leadership, the success of the Berlin Airlift also relied on the herculean efforts of allied airmen, who provided game-changing innovations like:
  • Mixing aircraft loads of differing densities to maximize tonnage - for example, mixing items like pasta, which weighed little but took up space, with sugar, which was the opposite;
  • Calculating the exact speeds, offload and onload times for all aircraft, to ensure maximum efficiency and minimum wasted time on the ground;
  • Adding more marker beacons to the flight routes and perfecting ground-controlled approaches, to aid safety and efficiency;
  • Building Tegel airfield in only 90 days from the crushed brick of Berlin, to include over a mile of runway, a mile of taxiways and over one million square feet of airfield apron;
  • And, of course, airdropping candy to children to boost their spirits.
The overall effort was summarized by Friedrich Ebert, the communist mayor of Berlin's Soviet sector, who complained, "They seem to have no lack of planes, pilots, and gasoline...I hear the damned things roaring over the house all night."

The Meaning of the Berlin Airlift - Now
The duration and magnitude of this airlift - almost 11 months of continuous operations, and over 278,000 missions delivering more than 2.3 million tons of supplies - tested your resolve. But, you refused to quit, and by standing firm, you won the first battle of the Cold War, and saved around 2.5 million people from Communism, without "firing a single shot."

In doing so, you taught the generations that followed you many lessons along the way.

You taught us the value of allies and cooperation; no single country could have executed the Berlin Airlift alone. It took a total team effort - men standing shoulder-to-shoulder with partners from other countries working to achieve a singular goal. Similarly today, the United States and its international allies, friends, and partners - bound by common values and objectives, and bolstered through mutual and confidence-building support - engage many of the world's problems through international engagement, coordination, and cooperation.

You taught us the value of leadership - how the right men in the right places at the right time can make all the difference; of efficiency - how to use every last drop of fuel, every inch or ramp space, and every second of time; and, of ingenuity and innovation - finding a way, or if necessary, devising one, to accomplish the mission.

And, you taught us that perseverance prevails, and that an extraordinary level of commitment and discipline is required to achieve desired results.

The Allied Challenge in Afghanistan
We'll need the wisdom of all of these lessons, and the enormous strength of your fine example, as we continue to face a momentous challenge in Afghanistan. While the location is different, many of the themes can be deduced to apply to our current experience:
  • We are operating as an allied force, with over 43 nations contributing troops. Not surprisingly, almost all of the allied forces from the Berlin Airlift are represented.
  • We are depending on multiple different nations to supply their most talented senior leaders of intellect and character. For example, the International Security Assistance Forces Commander has a British Deputy Commander, a Canadian spokesman, an Italian Chief of Staff, a Danish Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations, a Dutch Deputy Commander of Stability, and German and French Regional Commanders.
  • Allied forces are fighting an equally determined brutal ideology that threatens to impose its will on innocent civilians for its own ends.
  • Airlift continues to be crucial in this fight. Because Afghanistan has such harsh terrain and limited roads, it can take as long as 21 days for a convoy to make it from Bagram to Kandahar, a 400-mile trip. Bandits, ambushes, poor infrastructure and weather complicate an already formidable task, even on the best of days. The ability to airlift supplies to our troops gives us an advantage the enemy doesn't have - the very definition of asymmetry.
  • In addition, the ability to airdrop supplies is also crucial in this fight. Over 40 percent of our small forward operating bases are in rough, contested terrain, and can be resupplied only by air. We're on track in 2009 to almost triple the 8.5 million pounds of supplies airdropped in 2007. We have made great use of precision airdrop systems, aided by GPS, and have put much-needed supplies exactly where our ground forces request.
Sacrifice
The last thing - and arguably the most profound - that your example teaches us is sacrifice. Sixty years ago, nearly 100 allies laid down their lives during the Berlin Airlift. In the past eight-plus years, over 1,500 Coalition men and women have died during Operation Enduring Freedom. Sadly, this figure continues to grow. Recently, we suffered the largest single-day loss since we began operations in Afghanistan. Eighteen brave souls - members of our military and Drug Enforcement Agency - joined our nation's past fallen comrades on the distinguished slate of eternal heroes, who risked the immense and joyous possibilities of life, and ended up giving their "last full measure of devotion."

Tonight, we honor and remember the sacrifice of all of these men and women. Though these groups are separated in time, they are joined by their final sacrifice and their willingness to give everything for their countries. This commitment binds them more deeply than any uniform, flag, or any iconography of service and patriotism ever could.

Conclusion
This is your legacy - one of humble service, unshakeable devotion, innovation, perseverance and extraordinary sacrifice. From your example, today's men and women of all of our armed forces carry forward the patriotism and devotion that built, bolstered, and continues to sustain our free societies. Many of our service men and women came of age in the post-9/11 environment, as the complex nature of the security environment has become even more confounding; when the unique hardships that attend to a life of selfless service became even more onerous; when, by and large, more financially lucrative opportunities generally abounded in the private sector.

Yet, with these growing uncertainties, our young men and women in uniform were drawn to purposes higher than themselves or any one of us, instead service to their country. Rest assured that we are in good hands today, because your enduring legacy informs us, and your legendary effort inspires us.

Thank you for this legacy and for the heritage you have passed forward to the latest generation. It has been an honor to be with you here tonight, and to follow in your footsteps in service to the world's finest Air Force.