LETTER: Honoring American sacrifices for humanitarian efforts
In Northern Utah, we are all proud of America’s humanitarian airlift to West Berlin during 1948 1949. That operation was considered successful beyond all expectation. The reason that airflow was so successful was due to an operation conceived during World War II.
From 1942 to 1945, the United States and its allies were involved in another important humanitarian and war supplies airlift. There would never before been such a massive operation of this type. This effort was to supply China due to a Japanese blockade of any material deliveries by land or sea.
Since this was such a new concept, there was considerable learning by trial and error. This airlift was from India to China and back via the Himalayan mountains. This was complicated due to elevation, weather, and the Japanese. There was no air support for these flights.
The air lift was ultimately called “flying the hump.” casualties and airplanes was 594 and an Air Force personnel was 1,659.
There is a reason that I am so proud of this slice of World War II history. In my living room I display an American flag with 48 star. That flag was given to our family because my father, Lieutenant Orburn K. Flowers was killed “flying the hump.”
Gayla S. Flowers Thompson
Elwood