Distinguished Visitors Experience OCD 24
U.S. Air Force Chief Master Sgt. Patrick Holmes, Pacific Air Forces command first sergeant, left, and Chief Master Sgt. Katie McCool, Pacific Air Forces command chief, speak to Airmen during Operation Christmas Drop 2024 at the Deployment Operations Center at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Dec. 10, 2024. The tradition began during the Christmas season in 1952 when a B-29 Superfortress aircrew saw islanders waving at them from the island of Kapingamarangi, 3,500 miles southwest of Hawaii. In the spirit of Christmas, the aircrew dropped a bundle of supplies attached to a parachute to the islanders below, giving the operation its name. Today, airdrop operations include over 58 islands throughout the Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Jarrett Smith)