Capt. Matthew Yan, 36th Airlift Squadron pilot and aircraft commander, turns to his copilot after takeoff from Yokota Air Base, Japan, Dec. 10, 2012. Yan and his crew flew to Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, to participate in the annual Operation Christmas Drop, flying supplies to the Micronesian Islands. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
Senior Airman Timothy Oberman, left, and Staff Sgt. Nick Alarcon, loadmasters with the 36th Airlift Squadron, Yokota Air Base, Japan, watch out the back of a C-130H aircraft after dropping the first pallet of humanitarian goods to the island of Ulal Dec. 11, 2012. Operation Christmas Drop is a non-profit organization powered by volunteers from Andersen Air Force Base and the local Guam community. Each year OCD provides aid to over 30,000 islanders in Chuuk, Palau, Yap, Marshall Islands and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. This year is the 61st anniversary of OCD, making it the longest running humanitarian mission in the world. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse/Released)
Loadmasters from the 36th Airlift Squadron, Yokota Air Base, Japan, prepare humanitarian aid bundles destined for remote islands within the Micronesian Island Dec. 11, 2012, during the 61st anniversary of Operation Christmas Drop. Operation Christmas Drop is a non-profit organization powered by volunteers from Andersen Air Force Base and the local Guam community. Each year OCD provides aid to over 30,000 islanders in Chuuk, Palau, Yap, Marshall Islands and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. This year is the 61st anniversary of OCD, making it the longest running humanitarian mission in the world. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse/Released)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- Maintenance crews work on a C-130 Hercules at Yokota Air Base, Japan, in preparation for Operation Christmas Drop Dec. 12, 2012. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
OVER MICRONESIA -- Loadmasters and a flight engineer from the 36th Airlift Squadron discuss an upcoming drop over Micronesia Dec. 12, 2012. The drop was part of Operation Christmas Drop, an event held each year for more than 60 years, dropping donated humanitarian aid and gifts to islanders in Micronesia. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
OVER MICRONESIA -- Senior Airman Timothy Oberman, left, and Staff Sgt. Nick Alarcon, loadmasters with the 36th Airlift Squadron, Yokota Air Base, Japan, waive out the back of a C-130H aircraft after dropping the first pallet of humanitarian goods to the island of Ulal Dec. 11, 2012. Operation Christmas Drop is a non-profit organization powered by volunteers from Andersen Air Force Base and the local Guam community. Each year Operation Christmas Drop provides aid to over 30,000 islanders in Chuuk, Palau, Yap, Marshall Islands and Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. This year is the 61st anniversary of Operation Christmas Drop, making it the longest running humanitarian mission in the world. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- Maintenance crews work through the night to repair a C-130 Hercules from Yokota Air Base, Japan, at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Dec. 11, 2012. Aircrews dropped approximately 120 boxes in more than 65 bundles over the course of 8 days to help more than 30,000 islanders inhabiting the remote islands in Micronesia. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- Loadmasters, riggers and leadership from Yokota Air Base, Japan, discuss how to reinforce bundles for air drop at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Dec. 11, 2012. Due to almost twice as many donations for Operation Christmas Drop, the bundles had to hold twice as much weight. After adjustments, the rigging had a 100 percent success rate, a feat never before accomplished during a Christmas Drop. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- Senior Airman Timothy Oberman, loadmaster with the 36th Airlift Squadron, waits for takeoff in a C-130 Hercules at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Dec. 12, 2012. The crew flew donated supplies to the islands of Micronesia as part of Operation Christmas Drop. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- Master Sgt. Cameron Leslie, 36th Wing career assistance advisor and independent photojournalist, holds a camera at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Dec. 13, 2012. Leslie traveled to Micronesia in 2011 to see Operation Christmas Drop from the perspective of the islanders. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
Aerial view of the island of Falalop, one of the islands in Micronesia, 2011. Master Sgt. Cameron Leslie spent two weeks operating out of the island to visit other islands in the area to learn about Operation Christmas Drop from the islanders' perspective. (Courtesy photo by Master Sgt. Cameron Leslie)
A woman walks away from the camera carrying her child and wearing a grass skirt on an island near Falalop, Micronesia, in 2011. The remote islands in Micronesia don't have established commerce in many cases, so many items taken for granted in western society are not available. (Courtesy photo by Master Sgt. Cameron Leslie)
Bats nest on an island near Falalop, Micronesia, in 2011. Due to the large size of the bats and the limited food supply on the island, the islanders hunt the bats for food. (Courtesy photo by Master Sgt. Cameron Leslie)
Islanders repair a boat near the island of Falalop, Micronesia, in 2011. They use a compound made by dissolving styrofoam in gasoline, which creates a paste which they say is very effective at waterproofing boats. (Courtesy photo by Master Sgt. Cameron Leslie)
A bundle of humanitarian supplies from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, sits on an island near Falalop, Micronesia, from an Operation Christmas Drop mission Dec. 12, 2011. Each year, donations are collected all around the Pacific Region and airdropped to islands in Micronesia. (Courtesy photo by Master Sgt. Cameron Leslie)
Islanders divide supplies donated by military members and their families around the Pacific Region on an island near Falalop, Micronesia, Dec. 14, 2011. The supplies were dropped by a C-130 Hercules from Yokota Air Base, Japan, as part of Operation Christmas Drop. (Courtesy photo by Master Sgt. Cameron Leslie)
A woman and child walk down a path carrying handmade baskets on an island in Micronesia, Dec. 17, 2011. Master Sgt. Cameron Leslie visited the island to learn about the culture and how the islanders view Operation Christmas Drop. (Courtesy photo by Master Sgt. Cameron Leslie)
A sailboat takes to the Pacific Ocean near an island in Micronesia using an expired Army parachute as the sail on Dec. 18; 2011. The parachute was donated and used to airdrop other donated supplies to the island as part of Operation Christmas Drop. (Courtesy photo by Master Sgt. Cameron Leslie)
OVER MICRONESIA -- Capt. Matt Pate, 36th Airlift Squadron navigator, watches the horizon over Micronesia, Dec. 15, 2012. The crew flew air drop missions over eight days to deliver donated supplies to more than 30,000 remote islanders as part of Operation Christmas Drop. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- Airman 1st Class Joshua McDonald, 374th Logistics Readiness combat mobility flight air transportation journeyman, writes a holiday message on a bundle at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Dec. 16, 2012. The bundle was later air dropped to an island in Micronesia during Operation Christmas Drop. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN -- Loadmasters and aircrew from the 36th Airlift Squadron look out over a drop zone after delivering humanitarian bundles to the island of Ulal as part of Operation Christmas Drop, Dec. 11, 2012. Due to the additional donations received that year, riggers with the 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron had to adjust the way the bundles were built, making it possible to drop more supplies than ever before, and achieving a 100 percent success rate with the adjusted rigging. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN -- Airman 1st Class Ashley Powell, American Forces Network broadcaster, documents Operation Christmas Drop over the Pacific Ocean, Dec. 11, 2012. Broadcasters and photojournalists from AFN, the 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs and the 36th Wing Public Affairs offices came together to document the drops and assist with media inquiries. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN -- Senior Airman Timothy Oberman, 36th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, waits to drop a bundle of humanitarian aid during Operation Christmas Drop, Dec. 13, 2012. Timing is essential for low-cost, low-altitude air drops, often offering a window of only one or two seconds for the navigator to tell the loadmaster to drop the bundle once the drop zone is reached. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN -- Senior Airman Timothy Oberman, 36th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, secures tie-down straps after a successful low-cost, low-altitude drop during Operation Christmas Drop, Dec. 13, 2012. All of the supplies used to create the bundles of humanitarian aid are donated each year, including the rigging and parachutes. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN -- Senior Airman Timothy Oberman, left, and Capt. Ryan Turonek, 36th Airlift Squadron, push a bundle of humanitarian aid out the back of a C-130 Hercules during Operation Christmas Drop Dec. 13, 2012. Riggers from the 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron decorated some of the bundles with Christmas colors and wrote holiday greetings to the islanders on the skid plates. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN -- Capt. Ryan Turonek, left, and Senior Airman Timothy Oberman, 36th Airlift Squadron, sit on the back ramp of a C-130 Hercules after a successful low-cost, low altitude drop during Operation Christmas Drop Dec. 13, 2012. While used as a training opportunity for C-130 crews, each crew member expressed how gratifying it was to make a difference in the lives of the Pacific islanders they dropped humanitarian aid to. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN -- Chief Master Sgt. Reynold Albright, 36th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, looks out the back of a C-130 Hercules during Operation Christmas Drop, Dec. 15, 2012. Airmen from the 374th Airlift Wing at Yokota Air Base, Japan, to include the 36 AS, 374th Maintenance Group and 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron, packed more than 65 bundles of humanitarian aid donated by organizations around the Pacific and delivered them to more than 30,000 islanders in Chuuk, Palau, Yap, the Marshall Islands and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN -- Capt. Dereck Monnier, 36th Airlift Squadron pilot and aircraft commander, looks at a fellow crew member during a flight over Micronesia Dec. 18, 2012. Monnier wore a Santa hat because the flight was part of Operation Christmas Drop, a 61-year-old humanitarian airlift mission carrying donated supplies to remote islands in Micronesia. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN -- Signatures and holiday greetings cover the surface of a bundle of humanitarian supplies and gifts on a C-130 Hercules destined for an island in Micronesia Dec. 18, 2012. The supplies were donated from around the Pacific Region as part of Operation Christmas Drop to help remote islanders who do not have access to modern industry and supply chains. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN -- The crew of a C-130 Hercules from Yokota Air Base, Japan, look for markings of a drop zone on an island in Micronesia Dec. 18, 2012. The crew carried a bundle of donated supplies from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, as part of Operation Christmas Drop. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN -- The crew of a C-130 Hercules from Yokota Air Base, Japan, look for markings of a drop zone on an island in Micronesia Dec. 18, 2012. The crew carried a bundle of donated supplies from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, as part of Operation Christmas Drop. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN -- Crew members on a C-130 Hercules from Yokota Air Base, Japan, push a donated bundle of humanitarian supplies and gifts out the side door of the aircraft over an island in Micronesia Dec. 18, 2012. Each year, the C-130s fly to Guam to carry bundles to islands in need during Operation Christmas Drop. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN -- A bundle carrying humanitarian supplies and gifts drifts to the ground off the shore an island in Micronesia Dec. 18, 2012. C-130 Hercules crews from Yokota Air Base, Japan, flew missions out of Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, airlifting the donated bundles to islands in need as part of Operation Christmas Drop. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN -- A C-130 Hercules from Yokota Air Base, Japan, makes a low pass off the shore an island in Micronesia Dec. 18, 2012. The flight was part of Operation Christmas Drop, the world's longest-running humanitarian airlift mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
OVER THE PACIFIC OCEAN -- Children jump and wave at a passing aircraft on an island in Micronesia Dec. 18, 2012. The C-130 Hercules from Yokota Air Base, Japan, had just dropped a bundle of donated humanitarian supplies and gifts during Operation Christmas Drop. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam -- Pilots from the 36th Airlift Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan, walk away from their C-130 Hercules parked at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Dec. 18, 2012. The crew successfully completed the last airlift mission for Operation Christmas Drop, a 61-year-old humanitarian mission carrying donated supplies to the islands of Micronesia. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse)
by Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse
374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
12/23/2012 - YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- For children in Micronesia, Santa comes each year bringing toys and other gifts for them, just like in other parts of the world. Well, almost just like in other parts of the world. For these islanders, Santa doesn't ride a sleigh; he rides a C-130 Hercules from Yokota Air Base, Japan, and wears a U.S. Air Force flight suit.
For more than 60 years, Airmen have flown over these islands around Christmas, dropping donated goods in makeshift bundles to help more than 30,000 islanders inhabiting tiny islands spread across an area roughly the combined size of Alaska and Texas. The yearly endeavor, called Operation Christmas Drop, is the longest-running humanitarian airlift mission in the world.
"This is the mission at Yokota (Air Base, Japan) that everyone wants to go on," said Capt. Dereck Monnier, a 36th Airlift Squadron pilot and aircraft commander. "We work really hard to practice these airdrops, and this is the opportunity to do a real-world mission that's actually doing some good."
This large-scale humanitarian mission had relatively humble beginnings. According to the 36th Wing historian, the exact origin of the operation is unknown, but legend has it that the first supplies were dropped around Christmas in 1952. An aircrew, assigned to the 54th Weather Squadron at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, flew a WB-29 aircraft over a tiny island and saw the villagers below. The crew then packed a box and sent it down on a parachute used for weather buoys. This became tradition and continued each year until Operation Christmas Drop was officially named and organized in 1958.
Holding the same curiosity and compassion as the founders of Operation Christmas Drop, Master Sgt. Cameron Leslie, the 36th Wing career assistance adviser, wanted to learn more about the islanders who benefit from the supplies. Carrying a single, waterproof case holding his belongings and camera gear, Leslie took a missionary flight to Falalop, a small island in the Federated States of Micronesia. He spent the next two weeks traveling to different islands by boat and learning about the culture.
"My goal was to capture Operation Christmas Drop from the islander's perspective," he said. "They don't have much of anything ... it's not like they take trips to buy something. The further you go out on these tiny island chains, the more primitive it gets ... and the less they have."
He witnessed the islander's joy and excitement when they received an airdrop, as well as how they distributed the supplies they received, making sure everything was used and each family was given their fair share.
"Going there was a really good plus in the sense that we were able to get more focused on what we're sending to help rather than just taking the random things we don't use anymore," Leslie said. The islanders are practical people, and the best things to donate are items such as fishing tackle, flippers, snorkels and spears for spear fishing.
Following his visit, Leslie gave presentations, often as a duo with the Operation Christmas Drop president, Capt. Mitchell Foy, gathering support for future operations. His honest depiction of the islands through words and photos has captivated Airmen from those at Andersen to senior Air Force leaders.
Thanks in part to Leslie's presentations and photographs, this year's operation saw far more donations than usual. Several organizations including the University of Guam, the official Operation Christmas Drop nonprofit organization and other units from Andersen and Yokota worked together to deliver the parcels to each island.
Before returning to his family in Guam, Leslie had a chance to talk to one of the island chiefs. Leslie asked a simple but poignant question, "Why is Operation Christmas Drop so important?"
The chief said it wasn't necessarily the supplies themselves that were most important. The islanders know that the United States is a big country and is involved in many operations at home and abroad. It's important to them that, with everything else going on, Americans still find time to do this for them and has done so for more than half a century.
