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Lt. Col. Seymour Berman Ret. - Cocoa Beach - On June 25, 2010, Ret. Lt. Col. Seymour Berman passed away peacefully at home from natural causes while under hospice and family care. Sy was born in Wilmington, Delaware on September 24, 1916 and has resided in Cocoa Beach since 1966. As a 14-year-old, he was the youngest boy in Delaware to achieve Eagle Scout rank. He served in the USAF from 1941-1961 participating in WWII, the Berlin Airlift and the Korean War. Sy had a distinguished military career, starting as an aviation cadet in 1941. His finest WWII hours were with the 483rd Bomb Group at Foggia, Italy in 1944. During two combat tours in Europe as a navigator flying in B-17s, he survived 57 missions that included Ploesti, Budapest, Vienna, Berlin, Munich, Weiner Newstadt, Augsburg, Schweinfurt and Regensburg earning the rank of Major. His significant battle highlights included: 1. Destroying the oil refining facilities at Ploesti, Romania. 2. Leading missions to bomb Monte Cassino to open the road to Rome and release the U.S. Army Troops tied down at the Anzio Beachhead. 3. Missions to support the landing of about 50,000 American, French and British Troops in southern France. His combat awards include the Distinguished Flying Cross, 2 Purple Hearts and The Air Medal with 9 Oak Leaf Clusters. He also was awarded the French Freedom Medal for his support in liberating Paris and France, Russian WWII Victory Medal and the Greek Victory medal for distinguished service. His 483rd Bomb Group received 2 Presidential citations for combat. After his military career, Sy worked for Honeywell, Chrysler and Federal Electric in the Space industry at the Cape. He owned American BB Realty, a real estate brokerage office in Cocoa Beach. Sy also served on the Development Council for Circles of Care, and as a charter life member of Military Officers Association of America. In addition, he served the Cape Canaveral Chapter of the Air Force Association, Brevard Veterans Council, Optimist Club of Cocoa Beach, and the Retired Officers Club at Patrick Air Force Base. His wife of 66 years Betty J. Berman and children Patricia, Michael, Thomas and Daniel and many loving grandchildren and great-grandchildren, survive him. A memorial service will be held at 1 pm, Friday, July 9, 2010 at the Patrick AFB South Chapel, 121 Alamanda Ave., Satellite Beach, FL 32937. Interment with full military honors will be held at Arlington National Cemetery at 3 pm, Thursday, October 14, 2010. You may sign Seymour's guestbook at www.beckman-williamson.com.
Description Western Allies organized the Berlin airlift (26 June 1948 – 30 September 1949) to carry supplies to the people of West Berlin, a difficult feat given the size of the city's population. Aircrews from the United States Air Force, the British Royal Air Force, the Royal Canadian Air Force, the Royal Australian Air Force, the Royal New Zealand Air Force, and the South African Air Force flew over 200,000 flights in one year, providing to the West Berliners up to 8,893 tons of necessities each day, such as fuel and food. The Soviets did not disrupt the airlift for fear this might lead to open conflict.
By the spring of 1949, the airlift was clearly succeeding, and by April it was delivering more cargo than had previously been transported into the city by rail. On 12 May 1949, the USSR lifted the blockade of West Berlin. The Berlin Blockade served to highlight the competing ideological and economic visions for postwar Europe.
