Education
Operation Christmas Drop team shares mission with Japanese kindergarteners
By
374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs November 5, 2024
Airman 1st Class Jarrett Smith
374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs November 5, 2024
U.S. Air Force Capt. Miranda Bapty, 36th Airlift Squadron C-130J Super Hercules pilot, receives a donation from a kindergarten student in Shizuoka, Japan, Oct. 15, 2024. During Operation Christmas Drop 2023, crewmembers from the U.S. Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, and Republic of Korea Air Force delivered 210 bundles to 58 islands over the span of six days. (Airman 1st Class Jarrett Smith, U.S. Air Force)
YOKOTA AIR BASE, Japan -- U.S. Air Force Airmen from the 374th Airlift Wing representing the Operation Christmas Drop 2024 team visited a local kindergarten in Shizuoka, Japan, to meet with students and receive toy donations for the upcoming mission, Oct. 15.
During the visit, students were able to interact with members of the team, learn more about their jobs and ask questions about the historical significance of OCD.
Operation Christmas Drop is a humanitarian airlift mission, where U.S. Air Force personnel, along with international partners, work together to deliver much-needed supplies, food, clothing, and toys to remote islands in the Pacific. In 2023, the mission saw the U.S. Air Force, Royal Canadian Air Force, Japan Air Self-Defense Force, and Republic of Korea Air Force come together to deliver approximately 210 bundles to 58 islands over a span of six days.
“These donations are going to help kids in Micronesia and Palau get supplies that they need for the next school year and also some toys for their Christmas,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Miranda Bapty, 36th Airlift Squadron C-130J Super Hercules pilot. “Without this help, we wouldn’t be able to give them gifts for this year.”
The toys donated by the students will soon make their way to Micronesian islanders, continuing the mission’s tradition of spreading goodwill and joy during the holiday season.