A bundle of humanitarian aid and Christmas presents airdrops onto Fais Island in the Federated States of Micronesia with a Royal Australian Air Force C-130J in the background Dec. 8, 2015. Excluding the nylon straps and duct tape used to secure the bundle together for safe transport in the aircraft, the bundle is made entirely of donated goods; from the contents to the plywood to the parachute which would otherwise be thrown away by the U.S. Army because the expiration date passed and is therefore unsafe for human use. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
This article first appeared in the Stars and Stripes Global edition, Dec. 14 2015. It is republished unedited in its original form.
FAIS, Federated States of Micronesia — Santa came early to the villagers on Fais, a small island within the Federated States of Micronesia.
Last week, about 20 men from the three villages here recovered nearly 800 pounds of supplies, food and toys packed into two boxes and then airdropped from a C-130 Hercules from Yokota Air Base, Japan, on the island, which measures 1 square mile.
Fais as seen from a charter flight Dec. 8, 2015. Fais is located in the Ulithi Atoll about 175 miles from Yap, the nearest state in the Federated States of Micronesia. A runway just large enough for small aircraft is easily spotted from the air; otherwise the island is only accessible by boat. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
A charter flight flown by Pacific Mission Aviation debarks passengers and cargo at Fais Airfield on the remote atoll in the Federated States of Micronesia, Dec. 8, 2015. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
Men from Fais in the Federated States of Micronesia recover an airdropped box somewhere in the middle of their island Dec. 8, 2015. Airmen from the 374th Airlift Wing of Yokota Air Base, Japan, airdropped two boxes with approximately 800 pounds of humanitarian supplies and Christmas presents as part of Operation Christmas Drop. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
Men from Fais in the Federated States of Micronesia recover an airdropped box somewhere in the middle of their island Dec. 8, 2015. The villagers have no vehicles, so they must hand carry this 500-pound box for nearly 20 minutes through the jungle and into the village for the chief to sort and distribute. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
Men from Fais in the Federated States of Micronesia recover an airdropped box somewhere in the middle of their island Dec. 8, 2015. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
Men from Fais in the Federated States of Micronesia recover an airdropped box somewhere in the middle of their island, Dec. 8, 2015. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
A villager from Fais carries an empty carboard box back to his house. The box was full of humanitarian supplies and Christmas presents before being emptied by the village chief to sort and distribute equally. Even the used box and nylon straps are offered by the chief to the other men of the village. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
The supplies, all donated by the international community, included everything from coolers to fishing equipment, from trucks to boxes of crayons. Even the materials used to package the supplies — such as the cardboard box — are prized commodities for the island residents.
The airdrop was part of Operation Christmas Drop, an annual tradition dating back 64 years. What began as a small U.S. Air Force squadron’s spontaneous act of holiday cheer has turned into a highly choreographed humanitarian and training effort that involves several air forces, hundreds of volunteers and months of planning.
Villagers from Fais Island in the Federated States of Micronesia carry lumber to the beach Dec. 8, 2015. The villagers have no vehicles and the shore is too shallow for ships to moor, so they hand carry incoming supplies from an anchored ship to their single engine fishing boats onto the beach and into the villlage. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
Three boys who live on the island of Fais play in the tide Dec. 8, 2015. Despite living 175 miles from the nearest state in Micronesia, every person on the island of school age and older is literate in at least two languages and speaks their native language and English fluently. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
A family living on the island of Fais in the Federated States of Micronesia prepares dinner in their home Dec. 8, 2015. The stove they are using is a repurposed mine cart from a World War I era phosphate mine left behind by the Japanese. Many kitchens on the island have similar stoves. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
Nieh Harong from Fais plays with a palm tree leaf in her yard Dec. 8, 2015. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
Two boys from Fais Island take the main road to the village chief’s house Dec. 8, 2015. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
“Most years, it’s the most important day of the year for us,” said Louis Mangtau, the head chief on Fais. “The people are very excited and truly appreciate the generosity.”
As the boxes parachute down from the sky, the villages’ strongest men chase down the gifts. There are no vehicles on this particular island, so the men must haul them through tall grass and between trees to the center of the main village. There, Chief Mangtau will open, sort and distribute the contents equally to the island’s three villages. Each village chief will determine which family receives what on the basis of each resident’s specific need.
Chief Louis Mangtau, the chief of Fais Island in the Federated States of Micronesia, waits in his home for word of the U.S. Air Force's scheduled airdrop of humanitarian aid and Christmas gifts Dec. 8, 2015. Operation Christmas Drop, as the Air Force calls it, is an annual tradition and humanitarian mission for people living in some of the most remote locations in the Pacific Ocean. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
A man from the chief's village on Fais Island breaks open coconuts with a machete while he waits for word of the U.S. Air Force's expected arrival for Operation Christmas Drop on Dec. 8, 2015. He and other island men will be expected to help carry the 800 pounds' worth of humanitarian aid and Christmas presents from an open field in the jungle and walk the two boxes about 20 minutes away to the men's house in the main village. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
A young boy from Fais Island in the Federated States of Micronesia receives crayons from the Operation Christmas Drop box airdropped onto his island from a Yokota Air Base, Japan-based C-130 Hercules on Dec. 8, 2015. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
A young boy from Fais Island in the Federated States of Micronesia receives a soccer ball from the Operation Christmas Drop box airdropped onto his island from a Yokota Air Base, Japan-based C-130 Hercules on Dec. 8, 2015. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
A young man from Fais Island in the Federated States of Micronesia receives a soccer ball from the Operation Christmas Drop box airdropped onto his island from a Yokota Air Base, Japan-based C-130 Hercules on Dec. 8, 2015. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
Chief Louis Mangtau, the chief of Fais Island in the Federated States of Micronesia, sorts through the two boxes of humanitarian aid and Christmas presents airdropped onto the island by a C-130 Hercules from Yokota Air Base, Japan Dec. 8, 2015. Once the chief seperates the 800-pounds of goods into three piles for each of the three villages on his island, the villagers will move the items to their respective villages for equal distribution amongst the families. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
A group of young girls from Fais Island in the Federated States of Micronesia watch the chief sort through nearly 800-pounds of humanitarian supplies and toys Dec. 8, 2015. The girls are not allowed get any closer as the distribution is handled by the Men's House. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
A young man from Fais Island in the Federated States of Micronesia displays the nylon ropes he received from the island chief following Operation Christmas Drop on Dec. 8, 2015. The ropes are among the most prized items from the annual air drop because of their versatility and long life. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
“The chiefs are always fair. The decisions are always equal,” said John Gil, one of the men chosen to carry the bundles from the field to the villages. “We all share everything every day, so it really isn’t who gets what. It’s more like who takes care of what.”
Fifty-six islands are scheduled to receive 88 bundles. They will be performed by the U.S. Air Force, the Japan Air Self-Defense Force and Royal Australian Air Force. The exercise is scheduled to run through next week.
Remains of a World War I era phosphate mine operated by the Japanese slowly decomposes deep in the jungle of Fais Island in the Federated States of Micronesia Dec. 8, 2015. The mining operation stripped much of the nutrients from the soil and have left some parts of the island inhabitable. However, several remains have been salvaged and repurposed by the villagers. (James Kimber/Stars and Stripes)
