Kirtland participates in Operation Christmas Drop for the first time

In December 1952, a group of delighted islanders from Kapingamarangi — an atoll 3,500 miles west of Hawaii — saw a B-29 Superfortress fly overhead.

In the spirit of the holidays, the aircrew had gathered supplies and placed them into boxes before attaching them to a parachute and dropping them to the islanders.

Now dubbed Operation Christmas Drop, the tradition has become the Department of Defense’s longest-running humanitarian airlift operation, bringing in participating airmen from Air Force bases around the world. And, this year, Kirtland Air Force Base is participating for the first time.

“I know the holidays are a hard season for some people, and having this operation makes a difference,” said Senior Airman Kiersten Fausto, organizer of the event. “The military as a whole comes together to be able to help one another and take care of one another.”

Originally from Guam, Fausto understands the importance Operation Christmas Drop has on the islanders and knows the challenges and joys of living on a remote island.

“The other islands that surround Guam, a lot of them are not as fortunate as we are in the states to have those resources on hand,” Fausto said. “So to be able to help and bring all of these resources, school supplies and day-to-day needs, it makes a difference.”

Fausto organized the donation drop, spending three weeks gathering supplies. People donated items including nonperishable foods, toys, school supplies and hygiene products. For Fausto, the hardest part was trying to communicate with people stationed on Guam, where the time is 17 hours ahead of New Mexico.

“The saying in Guam is ‘Where America’s day begins’ because Guam is the first American territory to experience the day,” Fausto said. “As far as getting involved with it, I would say they were very opening and welcoming having me as an airman out here in Albuquerque reach out wanting to do this.”

Fausto will take all of the donations and load them Saturday on to a commercial flight traveling from Kirtland to Andersen Air Force Base on Guam.

While on the West Pacific island, Fausto will meet with other airmen to prepare distribution. All supplies donated from across the world will be loaded on to C-130J Super Hercules planes before the supplies are parachuted to remote islands scattered around the U.S. territory such as the Carolinian island of Satawal, Ngeaur Island and others.

“It’s very honoring,” he said. “At one point, I was the civilian on the island, and I had friends that were part of the mission that were prior service members. So being able to now not only be from the island but also be that service member, it’s not just representing myself, it’s representing the island as a whole. The purpose of this, long term, is to make a tradition where we can all come together as a community and give back.”