10,000 turn out to mark 60 years since Berlin airlift

SOME 10,000 people, including US soldiers, were at the Wiesbaden Garrison yesterday commemorating the 60th anniversary of the Berlin airlift — one of the largest humanitarian undertakings of all time.

Commander of the US Army garrison, Colonel Ray Graham, said the role played by allied forces who organised the airlift set the stage for NATO and closer ties ever since.

“Through the staunch resolve of the Western allies, and the grit of the Berliners, the blockade was broken,” Colonel Graham told a crowd including Germans, American soldiers and their families.