Berlin Airlift, Enduring Symbol of American Goodwill

Author Richard Reeves wrote the new book, Daring Young Men, in the hopes of showcasing the “country I thought I grew up in,” and the America he knew as a boy. As an antidote to anti-American perceptions across the world today, his book heralds the American-led Berlin Airlift. Through personal stories of the airmen who served, Reeves highlights the exceptional contributions by those airmen, many of who just two weeks earlier were working as lawyers, businessmen, and airline pilots, who came together to help save the people of Berlin from cold and starvation. As Americans, “we lead by example, not by force,” Reeves said, “and if we have the chance to do the right thing, we do it. Those of you who have been stationed in Germany, I am sure know, we’re thought of quite differently there than almost any place in the world.”