Operation Christmas Drop - the 56th year

On Guam, things are getting set for Operation Christmas Drop . Not familiar with this long running "humanitarian airlift?" See here for some background.

The basic idea is to parachute in useful items to remote islands in the Pacific that have no runways:

. . .The air drops are scheduled to begin Dec. 17 and run through Dec. 21.

Operation Christmas Drop is a non-profit organization powered by volunteers from Andersen AFB and the 36th Airlift Squadron from Yokota Air Base, Japan. Every year as part of a training exercise, the two join forces to drop supplies over the Micronesian Islands.

More than 800,000 pounds of humanitarian supplies donated by local businesses, citizens and servicemembers have been dropped throughout the Micronesian Islands.

Photo caption:

Tech. Sgts. Luiz Hernadez and John Kortes fill boxes with clothes at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Dec. 7 during Operation Christmas Drop's box build. Every year in December, Airmen from Andersen AFB and the 36th Airlift Squadron from Yokota Air Base, Japan, drop humanitarian supplies donated by the Guam community over the Micronesian Islands as part of a training exercise. Sergeants Hernadez and Kortes are medics assigned to the 36th Contingency Response Group. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Nichelle Griffiths)

Some "training missions" are better than others...Well done there, AF!

Red arrow points to Guam on map (which should enlarge if you click on it).

I would love someone involved with the operation to send me a map of the route the drop takes.

Official Operation Christmas Drop website here. They take donations via PayPal.