Paratroopers from the U.S. Army 2nd Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 11th Airborne Division, board a C-130J Super Hercules in preparation for a joint forcible entry exercise during Joint Pacific Multinational Readiness Center 24-02 at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska.

Yokota News

  • Firefighters extinguish aircraft burn training

    Fuel, engines and fire may be a scary combination for most, but some people move towards the flames to keep others safe.Members of the 374th Civil Engineer Squadron fire department completed semi-annual live fire training on a derelict training aircraft at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Dec. 14 and 15,

  • Mashing Mochi

    Japan Air Self-Defense Force Col. Shuichi Kamada, Operation Support Wing commander, gives opening remarks during a traditional Japanese event at Yokota Air Base, Japan, Dec. 14, 2016. Base leadership, local civic leaders and members of the JASDF pounded rice before eating the mochi together. (U.S.

  • Wrapping up Operation Christmas Drop 2016

    The U.S. Department of Defense’s longest-running humanitarian mission came to a close Tuesday, Dec. 13 when members of Team Yokota concluded their contribution to the 65th annual Operation Christmas Drop.In seven days of operation, the 36th Airlift Squadron from the 374th Airlift Wing, Yokota Air

  • Pushing planes: a labor of love

     Throughout Operation Christmas Drop’s 65 years, C-130s havebeen taking off, aircrews have been delivering bundles of donated goods to theremote islands around the Pacific and at the end of every mission the OCD teamhas celebrated hard-earned success. The amount of work it takes to make it allhappen

  • Tales for Taffy

    As you struggle to make sense of the words on the page your frustration grows. You know this, you’ve practiced for hours but the words just aren’t coming out right. The more you stutter and stumble your way through a sentence the harder it gets to keep on trying. Suddenly, a wet nose and velvety

  • Operation Christmas Drop 2016

    This is it. Years of training, months of planning, days of briefings and hours of flight have lead to this single moment. One mistake could mean that a remote island does not receive supplies that they’d been looking forward to since last year. The pilots, engineer, loadmaster, each crewmember of

  • Yokota members selected for promotion to E-9

    Of the 2,229 senior master sergeants eligible, the Air Force has selected 531 for promotion to chief master sergeant.The overall selection rate was 23.82 percent with an average overall score for those selected of 506.82. Selectees’ average time-in-grade was 3.23 years and time-in-service was 21.37