Operation Christmas Drop 2024 concluded Dec. 14, marking 73 years of delivering aid to some of the most isolated communities in the world. Over two weeks, C-130J Super Hercules and C-130H Hercules aircrews from the United States, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Canada came together to deliver 220 bundles totaling more than 77,000 pounds to over 58 remote islands in the Federated States of Micronesia and Republic of Palau, benefiting over 42,000 islanders.
Each bundle contained essential goods such as clothing, food, medical supplies, and fishing equipment donated by local organizations and international partners.
While OCD is the longest-running Department of Defense humanitarian aid mission, it also serves as an opportunity for participating aircrews to hone the coordination and execution skills needed to support future contingencies in the region. In completing 29 operational sorties, pilots and loadmasters alike acquired real-world experience in conducting low-cost, low-altitude airdrops to remote island communities.
U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Michael DeMik, the operations superintendent for the 36th Airlift Squadron at Yokota Air Base, Japan, believes the experience gained during OCD 24 helps prepare aircrews for even more real-world operations in the future.
“This year’s OCD mission not only delivered vital supplies to the people of the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau but also gave our crew members a unique opportunity to refine the humanitarian assistance and disaster relief skills they may need to deploy at a moment’s notice,” he said. “Delivering aid across the Indo-Pacific region is just one of the many critical tasks our highly versatile crews excel at.”
For the first time in the 374th Airlift Wing’s long-standing history of supporting OCD, forces deployed to Guam as part of the 374th Air Expeditionary Wing in order to test Agile Combat Employment capabilities in the Indo-Pacific theater. The wing’s shift to the ACE concept comes on the heels of a recent visit made by Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. David Allvin to Yokota Air Base, Japan, during which he emphasized the importance of ACE in addressing future challenges.
U.S. Air Force Col. Brett Cochran, the deputy commander for the 374th AW at Yokota Air Base, Japan, highlighted the significance of this transition and lauded the adaptability of OCD 24 aircrews.
“The advent of the 374th Air Expeditionary Wing is a reflection of our determination to learn how to quickly adapt our teams — both combined and joint — for effective operations within an increasingly diffuse national security environment,” he said. “Our AEW aircrews from five nations leveraged their training to conduct airdrops in a way that we don’t normally do. Within this dynamic operational environment, in an area of responsibility that spanned roughly the size of the U.S., we were able to flawlessly deliver 100% of the bundles.”
As the final bundle of OCD 24 landed, the impact of the mission could not only be seen in the smiles of the islanders, but also in the pride of the aircrews. For many Yokota Airmen who supported OCD, the operation is more than a mission — it’s an annual opportunity to remember why they do what they do.
“This mission is a reminder of the impact and good we can do for the world,” said U.S. Air Force Capt. Jordan Paecht, OCD 24 deputy mission commander. “Seeing the islanders wave as we fly away and later watching videos of them celebrating the airdrops — it’s a reminder of how many people we’ve helped. Experiencing it firsthand makes me really proud to be a Herk pilot.”
For U.S. Air Force Capt. Miranda Bapty, OCD 24 mission commander, seeing videos of islanders opening dropped bundles were the gratifying moments that culminated months of preparation and planning.
“Some of the most rewarding moments for me and my team were seeing the videos of the islanders receiving their bundles,” she said. “It’s an amazing experience getting to see the reactions from the air, but hearing their joy in those videos will stay with us the rest of our lives. This was a life-changing experience for us all.”
