Operation Christmas Drop: DOW's Longest-Running Humanitarian Mission in Pacific

Dec. 9, 2025 | By Air Force Senior Airman Alexzandra Gracey, 374th Airlift Wing |

Leaders from the U.S. Air Force, partnering nations and community members gathered for a traditional "push ceremony," marking the official beginning of Operation Christmas Drop 2025 at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Dec. 8, 2025.

The event served as the symbolic opening for the 74th iteration of the operation, the War Department's longest-running humanitarian airlift mission. It began in 1952 after an Air Force B-29 crew flying near Guam spotted islanders waving from below and dropped supplies as an act of goodwill.
 
"Operation Christmas Drop delivers more than just supplies," said Aren Palik, vice president of the Federated States of Micronesia. "It delivers hope, connection and the reassurance that even across a vast ocean, we remain part of one family. It is an accomplishment that speaks to the steadfast commitment of the United States and its Pacific partners to care for our people and our communities."

 
The ceremony concluded with Palik, Bruce Best — known at Operation Christmas Drop as "Brother Bruce" — and Air Force Col. Richard McElhaney, 374th Airlift Wing commander, loading the first official bundle into the cargo bay of a C-130J Super Hercules assigned to the 36th Airlift Squadron, operating under the 374th Expeditionary Wing.
 
"These bundles supply 56,000 people across 59 islands each year, but I don't think we can truly grasp that impact until we see the families wave and jump up and down in excitement as we fly by," McElhaney said. "While this is an amazing humanitarian mission, it's also an invaluable training event for participating aircrews. This training, and the work we do here, matters and translates to our readiness."

Throughout the remainder of the operation, the Air Force and partnering nations will airdrop a total of 270 bundles filled with critical supplies to remote communities across the Pacific, delivering humanitarian assistance while simultaneously conducting valuable low-level flight, precision-airdrop and logistical coordination training — skills that strengthen the ability to execute rapid global airlift missions across the Indo-Pacific region.
 
"The people of the Federated States of Micronesia extend our deepest gratitude," Palik said. "Beyond the food, tools, fishing gear, school supplies and gifts, you deliver something far more valuable: the spirit of compassion that defines this Christmas season."