ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam, Dec. 12, 2017 — Air Force reservists from the 44th Aerial Port Squadron here worked alongside the people of Guam on Dec. 9, filling boxes full of critical supplies as part of Operation Christmas Drop.
For the first time, Operation Christmas Drop will be using the Air Force C-130J Super Hercules aircraft to airdrop bundles to 56 islands in Micronesia, continuing the longest-running humanitarian airlift operation in Defense Department history and affecting the lives of more than 20,000 islanders.
Each year since 1952,
“This is my first Operation Christmas Drop, and it’s been a blast,” said Air Force Staff Sgt. Kaija Garrido, an air transportation specialist from Sinajana, Guam. “I love being able to see everyone from the community, active duty
Personalized Messages
In addition to packing supplies, volunteers decorated the outside of the boxes by writing personalized holiday messages. “The supplies inside each box are very important, but I thought it was special seeing everyone putting ‘love’ into their personal handwritten messages,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Melvin Ibaretta, 624th Regional Support Group deputy commander.
After the hustle and bustle of filling the bundles ended and the volunteers headed home, members of the 44th APS and their active-duty counterparts at the 734th Air Mobility Squadron worked together to load the cargo onto aircraft.
“We assist the rigger team by tying the rigs onto the boxes and doing the weight measurements,” said Air Force Tech. Sgt. Josephine Superales-
Operation Christmas Drop not only provides critical supplies
“I have experience in passenger services, so this gives me an opportunity to cross-train,” Superales-
While the reservists are fine-tuning their air transportation skills, they also are building relationships with their active-duty counterparts during the operation.
“Living, working and training here brings everyone together,” said Air Force Lt. Col. Russel Gohn, 734th AMS commander. “Our relationship built over time is one of the strengths we tout that helps our squadrons in both peacetime and wartime operations.”