Tempelhof Airport, one of the points of destination for the post-World War Two Berlin Airlift, closed today. To read about its significance in the lives of millions and in my life, go here.
Goodbye, Old Friend.
Member of the Funny Name Club
An excellent article, Juliette! My dad (USAF, ret., WWII) would have loved it.
Your writing honors the military men and women who've served with pride and compassion. Can only imagine how excited those poor kids were to see CPT Halvorsen (aka "Uncle Wiggly Wings") and his incoming candy run....
It's a shame that they had to close this historic airport, which is still usable, still viable. I hope that Tempelhof terminal will be preserved in some form, so that visitors can enjoy its history.
PS: A great picture! What were you -- 18?
Posted by: Mary | October 30, 2008 at 12:18 PM
Juliette;
Yes, an excellent article. Thanks for posting it. And what a smart-looking young lady in that last photo - you must have been excited to be there in such an historical place!
While I had heard about the Berlin airlift in school I wasn't prepared for the emotion of what exactly it meant for those Berliners who lived through it until I read "The Candy Bombers"
Here's a link to a couple of excerpts from the book:
The Candy Bombers
My eyes get all misty when re-reading the excerpt from the prologue about the old woman on 9-11.
It is a shame that they haven't come up with a plan to save the airport.
Posted by: Charles | October 30, 2008 at 01:41 PM
Mary: I was 25 when I arrived in Berlin so I'm at least that in the photo. :)
Posted by: baldilocks | October 30, 2008 at 02:11 PM
Damn I miss that place...I could probably still find my way from my old dorm to my girlfriend's. (Drunk, of course)
Posted by: IronMike | October 30, 2008 at 04:20 PM
Iron Mike
By "girl friend", what do you mean?
interested party
PS - my first dorm room faced the hanger with all the sounds and fumes...damn, I loved that room
baldilocks sez: Ruh roh! LOL
Posted by: MTheads | October 31, 2008 at 04:37 PM
I mean you my darling...of course.
baldilocks sez: ME????!!! Oh, you mean MTHeads. ::::starts rumors in AF Berliner community:::
Posted by: IronMike | November 01, 2008 at 07:44 PM
I haven't seen a picture of Tempelhof for years. Simon sent me a note that it closed--sad, but it's still in my memories.
I lived in:
6th Floor of the main section (2 weeks in 1982), H2Long (2nd and 3rd floors), Butthead Central (part of H2Long--only for buttheads), and HBE.
Ahh, those were the days!
Posted by: Scott Armstrong | November 04, 2008 at 10:15 AM
Although I've never been to that part of Germany, Templehof holds a weird sort of fascination for me. You see, Leon Uris wrote a book about the Berlin Airlift called 'Armageddon.' My great-uncle Fred, a young doctor who spent WWII in the Pacific rather than Europe, later became one of Uris' poker buddies and has a cameo in the book. Since my surname is vanishingly rare, seeing it in a novel from a bestselling author is something that stick in the memory.
Posted by: epobirs | November 07, 2008 at 12:40 AM