Lt. Halvorsen said, “Two sticks of gum changed my life forever.” Has there been anything small, like two sticks of gum, that changed your life significantly? What was it? How did it change your life?
Peter, Mercedes and the other children were waiting especially for Lt. Halvorsen’s plane. Have you ever waited for someone special to come and see you? Who was it? How did you feel?
One girl said to Lt. Halvorsen, “After your bombers had killed some of our parents, brothers, and sisters, we thought nothing could be worse.” How would you feel if the people who just bombed, and maybe killed some of your family, were now the people who were there to help you?
When Lt. Halvorsen first gave the 30 children the two sticks of gum, he said there was no fighting; they shared the gum with everyone. Did this surprise you? Do you recall a time when someone shared something with you, or perhaps you shared with others? How did you feel?
After Lt. Halvorsen’s colonel finds out about the candy drops, he said, “Keep flying, keep dropping, and keep me informed.” Why do you think the colonel supported the drops, even though Lt. Halvorsen didn’t get permission?
The children in the polio hospital said the “fun of Little Vittles was better medicine than anything they had.” What types of things cheer you up when you are sick or feeling bad?
In chapter 4, it says, “...what came out of this small act captured the interest and attention of the world, making it possible to multiply the effects of Operation Little Vittles a thousandfold.” Why do you think so many people in the world were interested in this operation?
Operation Little Vittles survived because of the donations of candy, cloth for parachutes, and hours of volunteers to fly the planes. Many recipients of the many parachutes even returned the cloth - a scarce commodity at the time - to the U.S. Air Force so they could be reused on future drops. Did this goodwill and generosity surprise you? Why do you think, in a time of struggle, so many people were able to work together?
One woman who wrote to Lt. Halvorsen said, “Chocolate can’t be bought even with money.” Why was it so valuable? Is there anything you own that is so valuable you wouldn’t sell it?
After getting a parachute with chocolate, one boy recalls, “That parachute was something more important than candy. It represented hope. Hope that someday we would be free. Without hope the soul dies.” What does it mean to you to have hope and be free?
| AuthorPatti Fleser - Media Specialist at Deer Path Middle School ArchivesCategoriesAll RESOURCESFrieling, Derek. "Lesson Plans for Candy Bomber Activity." Truman Library: Teacher Lessons. Truman Library, n.d. Web. 13 Sept. 2013. |
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