Stories Taking Flight: From Buckingham Palace to Berlin Airlift Voices
Dear {{contact.first_name}},
This month, the Berlin Airlift seems to be traveling in all kinds of ways. A copy of Wings of Freedom made its way to Buckingham Palace. Emedie “John” Mazella shared memories that take us behind the scenes of the Airlift. A story from Berlin reached Diana in the Philippines and inspired this month’s blog. Airlift Pennies are finding their places of remembrance, including a first gathering in Germany that made the local news.
And the story continues to move in very literal ways, too, from the Spirit of Freedom traveling to airshows across the United States to gatherings in Faßberg and a Veterans Breakfast Club conversation bringing together several very different voices connected to the Airlift.
Different places. Different generations. Different connections to the same history.
That is one of the things I love most about this work: seeing how far these stories can still travel, and who they reach along the way.
Thank you for following along.
Bibi
SPECIAL NEWS
A Very Special Letter Arrived...
An Acknowledgment from Buckingham Palace
Earlier this year, I sent a copy of Wings of Freedom to His Majesty The King, along with a letter sharing the work we are doing to preserve the personal stories of the Berlin Airlift.
In May, a private response arrived from Buckingham Palace.
While I will, of course, respect the confidential nature of the correspondence, I can share that the letter acknowledged the book and our work preserving accounts of the Berlin Airlift and conveyed His Majesty’s appreciation and good wishes.
It was an extraordinary reminder that these stories, and the importance of preserving them, continue to reach far beyond the people and places where this work began.
💡 LATEST STORY 💡
The Weather Behind the Airlift
I flew to Colorado specifically to meet and interview Emedie “John” Mazella at his home.
During the Berlin Airlift, John served as a weatherman, collecting weather information from across Europe and reports from pilots returning from their missions. That information was used to prepare reports and forecasts for the crews flying into Berlin.
John’s memories bring attention to work that often remained behind the scenes but was essential to every mission. Meeting him also gave me the rare privilege of sitting across from a 100-year-old veteran and hearing this history in his own words.
✨ LATEST BLOG ✨
The Power of a Story: Across Generations,
Across Cultures, Across an Ocean
Sometimes the clearest reminder of why this work matters arrives in an unexpected message.
Diana, who publishes the Voices of the Berlin Airlift stories on our website, told me that she had cried while working on the stories told by people who were children during the airlift. Her words stayed with me ...
This new blog reflects on what it means when a childhood memory from Berlin in 1948 or 1949 reaches someone generations later and oceans away. These are not only German, American, British, military, aviation, or Cold War stories. They are human stories, and they still have the power to make history personal.
🌕 THE AIRLIFT PENNY PROJECT 🌕
The First Penny Project Activity at Steinkopf
The first public activity of The Airlift Penny Project was recently featured in the Höchster Kreisblatt under the headline “Coins as a Silent Remembrance of Special People.”
During a gathering at the Steinkopf memorial, eyewitnesses, local supporters, and members of Luftbrücke Frankfurt-Berlin 1948-1949 e.V. remembered the first fatal crash of the Berlin Airlift.
***
In San Francisco, Pat Nishimoto placed three Airlift Pennies at the grave ofCol. Edward Raymond Naceyat San Francisco National Cemetery in the Presidio. Nacey participated in the Berlin Airlift during a remarkable 32-year Air Force career.
LEARN MORE ABOUT THE AIRLIFT PENNY PROJECT
🌎 News from Around the World 🌎
70 Years of the Luftwaffe in Faßberg
On August 27, 2026, Faßberg will commemorate two important anniversaries: the transfer of Faßberg Air Base from the Royal Air Force to the newly established German Luftwaffe 70 years ago, and the final Berlin Airlift flight from Faßberg 77 years ago. A full day of events will include commemorations, exhibitions, museum tours, music, a historical lecture, and guests from RAF Brize Norton.
Read the full announcement and event schedule HERE.
The Spirit of Freedom continues its journey across the United States, bringing the story of the Berlin Airlift directly to airshow audiences. Check the calendar below to see where this flying piece of history will be appearing next, and perhaps plan a visit if it is coming to a city near you.
Learn more about the Spirit of Freedom HERE.
⭐ VOICES PROJECT UPDATE ⭐
Berlin Airlift Voices in Conversation
The Veterans Breakfast Club recently brought together Denise Halvorsen Williams, Dagmar Snodgrass, Ralph Dionne, and me for a panel-style conversation about the Berlin Airlift.
Each participant brought a different connection to the story: family legacy, childhood memory, firsthand military service, and the perspective of growing up in West Berlin.
Together, the conversation explores not only what happened during the Airlift, but why its lessons of courage, cooperation, determination, and service still deserve our attention today.
As I look at everything included in this newsletter, what stays with me most is the range of people carrying this history forward.
There is a 100-year-old veteran sharing his memories, the children who lived through the Airlift, the families who inherited its stories, the people who teach and preserve it, and readers across the world who are encountering this history for the first time.
Thank you for reading, listening, sharing, and standing behind this work. Every act of attention gives these memories another chance to reach someone who did not know the story before.
With gratitude,
Founder & President
Wings of Freedom
