By Staff Sgt. Cody H. Ramirez
374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
ULITHI ATOLL, Micronesia, Dec. 22, 2014 – More than 1,200
miles from the nearest civilization, a man stands on a beach wearing only his
lavalava. He lifts the bright orange flag with yellow brim and stakes it in the
ground, marking the spot to ensure it is easily seen, especially from the air.
The 80-degree weather, palm tree-covered islands and miles
of surrounding ocean do not typically bring Christmas to mind, but this man
knows the day has come for Operation Christmas Drop, and soon a C-130 Hercules
would fly above his island to deliver holiday gifts.
His island is Mogmog, just one of the more than 50
Micronesian islands that receive airdropped items from a 374th Airlift Wing's
C-130 every year.
An Island Holiday Tradition
"It's always exciting, especially when Christmas is
around the corner," said Ignatius, the Mogmog village chief. "I know
everyone here is excited, not just about the package itself, but the plane is
something for the kids (to look forward to also)."
Ignatius said every year islanders gather to be a part of
retrieval, taking peeks in the box to see what it contains.
"We don't know what is in the package, so it's just
like a Christmas gift," Ignatius added.
In preparation for the drop, village elders ensure children
do not go into the designated drop area. They also ensure a retrieval team is
standing ready near the beach, with another in a boat in case the bundle lands
in the water.
Nearly 150 people inhabit the island, some living in small
concrete buildings, some in metal shacks and others still living in traditional
homes with coconut thatch roofs. They live off of a steady diet of bananas,
breadfruit, coconut and fish. Many never leave their island, but Operation
Christmas Drop is one of the connections they have to the rest of the world.
This reminder of Christmas has been airdropped to the
islands of Micronesia for 63 years. For the past 35 years, Bruce Best has
helped the process by improving communication between the islands, Guam and the
service members running Operation Christmas Drop.
Best is a telecommunications specialist and the Pacific
program coordinator from the University of Guam. He coordinates the drop dates
and times via radio to the outer islands.
A Record in Humanitarian Aid
"This is a major operation for humanitarian (aid) --
the longest humanitarian operation in the history of the (U.S.), over 63
continuous years," Best said. "(It is) all donated equipment, all
going directly to these outer islands that sometimes have no transportation or
communication. Little radios being their only communication off the
island."
Best has installed solar powered radio communication devices
for 40 years throughout Micronesia. It is with his devices that the islands
communicate with him in Guam, receiving weather updates and drop information.
With his help, the hundreds of miles of ocean that separate the islands seem a
lot smaller.
"We have good support here at the university and good
support in the community," Best said. "We hope to keep the Christmas
Drop spirit and humanitarian aid effort alive for many years."
According to Ignatius, Operation Christmas Drop brings a
certain Christmas spirit to the islands, but the holidays are felt throughout
the island beginning Dec. 1.
"Every night the whole island gets together to sing
church songs and Christmas carols," Ignatius said. "We assign two
houses a night, every night. On Saturday nights we get together by the church
and have plays and (events) to motivate the Christmas spirit."
In continuing the tradition, Ignatius said toys are given to
the children on Christmas Day. They remove the toys from the bundle on drop day
to be wrapped and distributed to the children on Dec. 25.
Ignatius said everyone on the island truly appreciates the
airdrops and wishes everyone involved in the operation a happy holiday.
"Merry Christmas to each and every one of them, every
Christmas!" Ignatius added.
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