None of this was caused by Operation Little Vittles or by candy drops from American aircraft. The strategic and diplomatic dimensions of the airlift were driven by generals, diplomats, and heads of state. But the candy drops were part of the story that West Berliners told themselves about what the airlift meant, and the story matters because it helped determine what came after.
## Halvorsen Goes Home
Halvorsen returned to the United States in January 1949. He had spent about seven months in Germany, far longer than the twenty-three days his initial orders had specified. Operation Little Vittles continued under Captain Caskey until the blockade ended in May.
Back home, Halvorsen received the Cheney Award in 1949, presented by General Hoyt S. Vandenberg. The Cheney Award was given for acts of valor, extreme fortitude, or self-sacrifice in a humanitarian interest; it was an appropriate recognition for what Halvorsen had done, though the committee was presumably also aware of the award’s public relations value.
He had thought about leaving the Air Force at this point. The life of a career military officer was demanding and his options in civilian aviation were growing. He stayed partly because he was offered a permanent commission and saw a path forward. He used the Air Force Institute of Technology to pursue a bachelor’s and master’s degree in Aeronautical Engineering at the University of Florida, completing both between 1951 and 1952.
His subsequent Air Force career was varied and substantial. He worked as a project engineer for cargo aircraft research at Wright-Patterson and Hill Air Force Bases from 1952 to 1957. He attended Air Command and Staff College at Maxwell Air Force Base in 1957 and 1958. From 1958 he worked on space projects in California, including serving on source selection committees for the Titan III launch vehicle program. From 1962 to 1965 he was posted to Wiesbaden, West Germany, with the Air Force Systems Command’s Foreign Technology division, returning to Germany for the first time since the airlift.