231202-F-AE827-1131
Members of the Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF) assigned to the 401st Tactical Airlift Squadron take photos of multinational group posing during the annual bundle building event in support of Operation Christmas Drop 2023 (OCD 23) at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, Dec. 2, 2023. The group consisted of military counterparts from JASDF, U.S. Air Force, Republic of Korea Air Force, and Royal Australian Air Force. OCD is the Department of Defense’s longest-running humanitarian airlift operation. The tradition began during the Christmas season in 1952 when a B-29 Superfortress aircrew saw islanders waving at them from the island of Kapingamarangi, 3,500 miles southwest of Hawaii. In the spirit of Christmas, the aircrew dropped a bundle of supplies attached to a parachute to the islanders below, giving the operation its name. Today, airdrop operations include more than 50 islands throughout the Pacific. (U.S. Air Force photo by Senior Airman Brooklyn Golightly)