Our Hometown
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Greetings from Guam 'Twas Christmas broached the mightiest ale; I have no idea what that means, but I like its iambic pentameter...whatever that is. Give me a break here, I'm a history teacher, not Jack Frost...ahh, make that Robert Frost. Actually, I do know what it means because I took a course as an undergrad called Deciphering Ancient Scottish Poetry. It was an upper level course and I'm sure I got an 'A' in it, because I was really smart back then, when I was gittn schoolin and all. Basically, it is saying that if you drink some really strong beer- light beers are out - on Christmas, tell a wild story, and frolic about, you will be happy until about June. Again, it has to be some really strong beer, probably Canadian beer - the real McCoy, not the imported stuff. Unfortunately, this only works for poor men. Okay, enough with the Scottish flummery, the point is, that it's the holiday season and, here on Guam, it is time once again for the annual Operation Christmas Drop. I wrote an article on this last year, but it is such a heart warming and inspiring event that it is well worth bringing up again. For me, this is the epitome of what Christmas is all about. As you east coasters may or may not know, Guam is just one of many hundreds of islands scattered about in our immediate vicinity. We are a modern island with a large population (150,000), relative to some of our neighboring islands, which have fewer than 20 people living on them. We have top notch hotels, restaurants, and top of the line stores...and, of course, K-Mart. Everything we need, we can get right here. We are much more fortunate than some of our neighbors, and we are fortunate to have the United States Navy and Air Force here. Every year at this time, we take our good fortune and share it with the our less privileged neighbors in the form of Operation Christmas Drop, which is a collaborative effort on behalf of the civilian and military communities here on Guam to bring the holiday spirit and needed supplies to the islands in the region. Originally started in 1952 with a single container drop to some islanders who were waving at a weather plane from Andersen Air Force Base, Operation Christmas Drop has grown today to include nearly fifty islands spread across the Pacific, primarily in the Northern Mariana Islands, Micronesia, and Palau. The Air Mobility Command's 634th Air Mobility Support Squadron stationed at Andersen, gets airlift support for the program from C-130's assigned to the 374th Airlift Wing, Yokota Air Base, in Japan. The C-130's deploy to Guam during Operation Christmas Drop to take part in an aircrew training program in the region. Using disaster relief scenarios, the crews practice for real-world humanitarian relief missions by delivering the holiday packages. The 500-pound containers include everything from food, clothes, and toys, to fishing supplies and tools. Operation Christmas Drop is about as close to the real flying Santa Claus as it gets, except he's replaced Rudolph and the gang with 4 big Pratt and Whitney engines - a little louder, but much less temperamental and not as messy. I donated some clothes (mostly t-shirts) this year, and I can't tell you how good it has made me feel - not only for my personal contribution, but to simply be a part of this wonderful community. I have been saying this all along: the people of Guam are some of the most generous and thoughtful people on this planet, and there is no better proof than Operation Christmas Drop, now in its 47th year. May each of you experience the joy of giving to those less fortunate than yourself this holiday season - that feeling is better than any gift one could possibly receive. Stay tuned for next week's article, as I am taking my column on the road... next week, it's Greetings From New York. Hafa Adai and Happy Holidays Copyright © 1999 |
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