Provo Veterans Center to be renamed after Col. Gail S. Halvorsen
Jun 7, 2022, 11:00 PM | Updated: Jun 8, 2022, 10:08 am
Retired Col. Gail Halvorsen attends a ceremony to dedicate the baseball and softball field of the Berlin Braves baseball team in 'Gail Halvorsen Park' in Berlin , Saturday, May 11, 2019. A bill co-sponsored by Utah Senators Mike Lee and Mitt Romney was signed into law Tuesday, June 7, 2022 that will rename the Provo Veterans Center after Halvorsen. Photo credit: Christoph Soeder/dpa via AP)
SALT LAKE CITY — A bill sponsored by Sen. Mike Lee’s bill that would rename the Provo Veterans Center after the late Col. Gail S. Halvorsen was signed into law Tuesday by President Biden.
Sen. Mitt Romney co-sponsored the bill with Lee.
Halvorsen is also known as the ‘Candy Bomber’ for his efforts in distributing candy to the children of Germany during the 1948 Berlin Airlift.
Outside of his famous actions during World War II, much of his life was dedicated to helping children and promoting diplomacy between the United States and Germany.
“Col. Gail Halvorsen represents the best of Utah and the best values of the Armed Forces,” Lee said in a news release.
In times of darkness and despair, Gail Halvorsen brought light and kindness, and his work and legacy continue to this day. It is an honor to sponsor this bill and to rename the Provo Vet Center after a great Utahn.”
Halvorsen died in February at the age of 101.
To read the full text of the bill, click here.
Read more:
- Gail Halvorsen, the ‘Candy Bomber’ has died at age 101
- How the ‘Candy Bomber’ touched and changed lives
