Happy Holidays From the United States Armed Forces... and Santa

The history of the United States Military began in 1775 with the formation of the United States Army. The military is responsible to fight in foreign wars and often called upon to supply humanitarian aid to States and other countries in need.

What began a small U.S. Air Force squadron’s spontaneous act of holiday cheer has turned into a highly choreographed humanitarian and training effort that involves several air forces, hundreds of volunteers and months of planning.

Christmas in Regional Command-East - "Santa," aka U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Michael Lausier, from Swampscott, Massachusetts, listens with a group of fellow soldiers attached to Provincial Reconstruction Team - Kapisa, Task Force Lafayette, as Brigadier General Gary Volesky, Combined Joint Task Force-1 deputy commanding general, visits with several special forces soldiers in Sarobi district December 24th 2010. 1st Sgt. Joey Thompson, 7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, via DVIDS. Credit: U.S. Army

Christmas in Regional Command-East - "Santa," aka U.S. Air Force Senior Airman Michael Lausier, from Swampscott, Massachusetts, listens with a group of fellow soldiers attached to Provincial Reconstruction Team - Kapisa, Task Force Lafayette, as Brigadier General Gary Volesky, Combined Joint Task Force-1 deputy commanding general, visits with several special forces soldiers in Sarobi district December 24th 2010. 1st Sgt. Joey Thompson, 7th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, via DVIDS. Credit: U.S. Army

Operation Christmas Drop is the Department of Defense’s longest-running humanitarian airlift operation. The tradition began during the Christmas season in 1952 when a B-29 Super fortress 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, air drop operations include more than 50 islands throughout the Pacific. Not only is Operation Christmas Drop the Defense Department’s longest running humanitarian airlift mission, but it also gives the 374th AW an opportunity to practice humanitarian aid and disaster relief.

C-130 aircrews deliver almost 40,000 pounds of supplies by executing more than 20 low-cost, low-altitude airdrop training missions to islanders throughout the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas Islands, Federated States of Micronesia and Republic of Palau. The airdrop missions allow aircrews to practice essential combat skills and demonstrate commitment throughout the Indo-Asia-Pacific region while helping the U.S. strengthen cooperation with two allies.

Master Sgt. Josh McMahan, 36th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, performs a visual inspection of a C-130J Super Hercules propeller prior to taking off for a training sortie during the 66th Operation Christmas Drop at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Dec. 14, 2017.

Operation Christmas Drop - The Operation Christmas Drop (OCD) 2012 patch is displayed on the arm of Captain Anthony Felix, an instructor pilot from the 36th Airlift Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan, as he takes off to begin an OCD delivery flight from Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, December 12th, 2012. U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Carlin Leslie/Released.

“Members of our community consider all Micronesians brothers and sisters, and we are happy to share this unique tradition in bridging the distance,” said Brig. Gen. Andrew Toth, the 36th Wing commander. “That’s the beauty of this operation – its impact goes beyond the coastline of Guam.”

A bundle of humanitarian aid and Christmas presents airdrops onto Fais Island in the Federated States of Micronesia with a Royal Australian Air Force C-130J in the background Dec. 8, 2015. Excluding the nylon straps and duct tape used to secure the bundle together for safe transport in the aircraft, the bundle is made entirely of donated goods; from the contents to the plywood to the parachute which would otherwise be thrown away by the U.S. Army because the expiration date passed and is therefore unsafe for human use.

“Most years, it’s the most important day of the year for us,” said Louis Mangtau, the head chief on Fais. “The people are very excited and truly appreciate the generosity.”

As the boxes parachute down from the sky, the villages’ strongest men chase down the gifts. There are no vehicles on this particular island, so the men must haul them through tall grass and

A C-130 drops a box of cargo, taped with transport straps to prevent the load from shifting during transport. C-130 aircrews deliver almost 40,000 pounds of supplies.

between trees to the center of the main village. There, Chief Mangtau will open, sort and distribute the contents equally to the island’s three villages.

Each village chief will determine which family receives what on the basis of each resident’s specific need.

Fifty-six islands are scheduled to receive 88 bundles. They will be performed by the U.S. Air Force, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and Royal Australian Air Force. The exercise is scheduled to run again in December, 2018.