Love from the Outback - Australia supports OCD24

Royal Australian Air Force and U.S. Air Force members observe the Micronesia islands during Operation Christmas Drop 2024, Dec. 9, 2024. The OCD 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 Staff Sgt. Taylor Slater)

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Love from the Outback - Australia supports OCD24

Royal Australian Air Force Corporal Ashley Horsburgh and Corporal Montanna Kerr, Number 37 Squadron C-130J Super Hercules loadmasters, perform readiness checks on a bundle during Operation Christmas Drop 2024 at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Dec. 9, 2024. Service members from the U.S., Japan, Australia, Canada, and South Korea worked together to execute this multinational mission, strengthening regional partnerships. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Taylor Slater)

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Love from the Outback - Australia supports OCD24

Royal Australian Air Force Flying Officer Jonathan Lee, Number 37 Squadron operations officer, records Pacific Ocean views during Operation Christmas Drop 2024, Dec. 9, 2024. Service members from the U.S., Japan, Australia, Canada, and South Korea worked together to execute this multinational mission, strengthening regional partnerships. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Taylor Slater)

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Love from the Outback - Australia supports OCD24

Royal Australian Air Force loadmasters prepare to deploy a bundle from a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft over the Micronesia Islands during Operation Christmas Drop 2024, Dec. 9, 2024. Service members loaded supplies into C-130s for airdrop as part of the annual humanitarian effort to deliver essentials to remote Pacific island communities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Taylor Slater)

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Love from the Outback - Australia supports OCD24

A bundle deploys its parachute over the Micronesia Islands during Operation Christmas Drop 2024, Dec. 9, 2024. Crews conducted airdrops to deliver essential supplies to remote areas as part of a long-standing humanitarian aid mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Taylor Slater)

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Love from the Outback - Australia supports OCD24

A Royal Australian Air Force loadmaster from the Number 37 Squadron pushes a bundle out of a C-130J Super Hercules aircraft over the Micronesia Islands during Operation Christmas Drop 2024, Dec. 9, 2024. Crews conducted airdrops to deliver essential supplies to remote areas as part of a long-standing humanitarian aid mission. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Taylor Slater)

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Love from the Outback - Australia supports OCD24

Royal Australian Air Force members pose for a picture over the Pacific Ocean during Operation Christmas Drop 2024, Dec. 9, 2024. Service members from the U.S., Japan, Australia, Canada, and South Korea worked together to execute this multinational mission, strengthening regional partnerships. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Taylor Slater)

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Love from the Outback - Australia supports OCD24

Royal Australian Air Force Corporal Ashley Horsburgh and Corporal Montanna Kerr, Number 37 Squadron C-130J Super Hercules loadmasters,tape an Australian flag to a bundle over the Pacific Ocean during Operation Christmas Drop 2024, Dec. 9, 2024. The OCD 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 Staff Sgt. Taylor Slater)

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Love from the Outback - Australia supports OCD24

Royal Australian Air Force Corporal Jade Cannon, Number 37 Squadron supplier and Leading Aircraftsman Wyatt Smith, Number 37 Squadron aircraft technician, pose for a photo during Operation Christmas Drop 2024, Dec. 9, 2024. The OCD 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 Staff Sgt. Taylor Slater)

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Love from the Outback - Australia supports OCD24

Royal Australian Air Force members write on bundles over the Pacific Ocean during Operation Christmas Drop 2024, Dec. 9, 2024. Service members from the U.S., Japan, Australia, Canada, and South Korea worked together to execute this multinational mission, strengthening regional partnerships. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Taylor Slater)

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Love from the Outback - Australia supports OCD24

A Royal Australian Air Force member writes their unit name on a bundle during Operation Christmas Drop 2024, Dec. 9, 2024. Service members and volunteers decorated bundles to load into C-130s for airdrop as part of the annual humanitarian effort to deliver essentials to remote Pacific island communities. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Taylor Slater)

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Love from the Outback - Australia supports OCD24

Royal Australian Air Force Flying Officer Lee Maieron, Number 37 Squadron C-130J Super Hercules pilot, displays his country patch during Operation Christmas Drop 2024, Dec. 9, 2024. The OCD 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 Staff Sgt. Taylor Slater)

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Love from the Outback - Australia supports OCD24

Published Dec. 10, 2024
By Staff Sgt. Taylor Slater
374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

MICRONESIA ISLANDS, Pacific Ocean --

Service members from the U.S., Japan, Australia, Canada, and South Korea worked together to execute Operation Christmas Drop 2024, strengthening regional partnerships.