As we prepare for our annual holiday break, here’s a little heartwarming story about a Christmas tradition among U.S. Air Force crews stationed in Micronesia: Operation Christmas Drop, the longest running humanitarian airlift operation in the world. Since 1952, these crews, operating out of Guam, Japan and other U.S. bases, have been delivering much needed supplies, clothing and (of course) toys via parachute to the inhabitants of dozens of islands.
This year, thanks to help from hundreds of civilians, Operation Christmas Drop shipped about 40,000 pounds of supplies and toys to 56 islands, taking eight days to cover 1.8 million square miles of ocean. Check out this video, which shows the C-130 Herc crews as they prepare their precious cargo and make their precisely timed drops at each tropical location.
And with that, Air Cargo World wishes you a happy and peaceful holiday season.