Volunteers put holiday spirit into Operation Christmas Drop

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Cody H. Ramirez
  • 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam --  Boxes wrapped in an assortment of festive Christmas wrapping papers were spread throughout the local community, all with a wish list taped to their exterior. Each box represented a donation drop-off spot for Operation Christmas Drop.

But, the time for donating was over, as volunteers collected the boxes of items and brought them to a warehouse for sorting Dec. 4. The estimated 50,000 pounds of items are packed as low-cost, low-altitude bundles onto C-130 Hercules aircraft and sent off to the islands throughout Micronesia. Before the most critical part of OCD began, the items were sorted.

"Everyone has been bringing in food, books, clothes [and] miscellaneous items for Operation Christmas Drop, and today we are setting up pallets and sorting through it," said Staff Sgt. Matthew McKamie, an OCD volunteer with the 734th Air Mobility Squadron. "We are putting clothes with clothes, toys with toys, and so on."

More than 25 volunteers from Andersen Air Base, Guam, and Yokota Air Base, Japan, helped sort the items to make packing a much simpler task. Sorting through the donations allows the items to be divided among their destined islands more evenly -- ensuring there is variety in each bundle airdropped during the operation.

"It is nice knowing roughly 20,000 people on 56 islands are being helped out," McKamie said. "I know some of the stuff we send them is not going to be used as we intended it, but it's going to help them in some way, and knowing that makes me feel good."

McKamie said this year was his fourth time helping with OCD and he said every year the islander receive their annual gift as a surprise and with much appreciation.

"They feel truly blessed when we drop it off and to me, that means more than anything," McKamie added.

McKamie wasn't the only volunteer who found joy in his work.

"It puts me in the Christmas spirit to know I am giving in a way that I can," said Staff Sgt. Mariko McClain, 36th Logistical Readiness Squadron OCD volunteer. "I like volunteering for things that have a big impact on other people's lives and I think that this is one that will."

Although the long days of sorting, packing, bundling and airdropping don't begin until the 374th Airlift Wing travels to Andersen every year, the operation begins months earlier.

Twelve council members, along with more than 75 volunteers throughout the process, planned and prepped for months, collecting donations and running fundraisers along the way. Master Sgt. Robert Mueller with the 734th AMS was the council president and said the operation was like a second job for the past six months.

"I basically organized and maintained all the committee heads and made sure everything was coming together as a cohesive unit," Mueller said. "My main role was to follow the rules and regulations placed before us as a private organization, draft the Denton agreement and coordinate between Yokota Air Base and Andersen Air Force Base, the two teams behind Operation Christmas Drop, and ensure everything got to the planes and to the islands."

Mueller said it was a huge project and with each passing day the collaborative effort intensified.

"It was great to have guys from Yokota so willing to come out and help," Mueller added. "It was great to see everyone on board and willing to make this happen and I thank everyone that was involved and willing to participate in the project."