231209-F-PM645-1134

(Left to right) U.S. Air Force (USAF) Maj. Zach “Badger” Overbey, 36th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron (EAS) Operation Christmas Drop 2023 (OCD 23) mission commander and pilot, and Staff Sgt. Eric Richardson, 36th EAS C-130J Super Hercules loadmaster, wave to USAF, Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), Japan Air Self-Defense Force (JASDF), and Republic of Korea Air Force (ROKAF) C-130s during OCD 23 over the Pacific Ocean, Dec. 9, 2023. This is the first time OCD has featured a multinational formation flight. Aircraft included a USAF C-130J Super Hercules assigned to the 36th EAS, an RCAF C-130J Super Hercules assigned to the 436th Transport Squadron, a JASDF C-130H Hercules assigned to the 401st Tactical Airlift Squadron, and a ROKAF C-130H Hercules assigned to the the 251st Airlift Squadron. USAF, RCAF, JASDF, and ROKAF crewmembers delivered 210 bundles to 58 islands over the span of six days. The deliveries of humanitarian aid reached over 42 thousand remote Micronesian islanders across 1.8 million square miles. (U.S. Air Force photo by Yasuo Osakabe)