Loadmasters and aircrew from the 36th Airlift Squadron look out over a drop zone after delivering humanitarian bundles to the island of Ulal as part of Operation Christmas Drop, Dec. 11, 2012. Due to the additional donations received that year, riggers with the 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron had to adjust the way the bundles were built, making it possible to drop more supplies than ever before, and achieving a 100 percent success rate with the adjusted rigging. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse/Released)
Senior Airman Timothy Oberman, 36th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, looks out over a drop zone from a C-130 Hercules after delivering humanitarian bundles to the island of Ulal, Dec. 11, 2012. Loadmasters are responsible for most of what happens in the back of a C-130, taking care of passengers, securing cargo and assisting the flight deck with takeoff and landing procedures. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse/Released)
Airman 1st Class Ashley Powell, American Forces Network broadcaster, documents Operation Christmas Drop over the Pacific Ocean, Dec. 11, 2012. Broadcasters and photojournalists from AFN, the 374th Airlift Wing Public Affairs and the 36th Wing Public Affairs offices came together to document the drops and assist with media inquiries. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse/Released)
Senior Airman Timothy Oberman, 36th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, waits to drop a bundle of humanitarian aid during Operation Christmas Drop, Dec. 13, 2012. Timing is essential for low-cost, low-altitude air drops, often offering a window of only one or two seconds for the navigator to tell the loadmaster to drop the bundle once the drop zone is reached. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse/Released)
Senior Airman Timothy Oberman, 36th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, secures tie-down straps after a successful low-cost, low-altitude drop during Operation Christmas Drop, Dec. 13, 2012. All of the supplies used to create the bundles of humanitarian aid are donated each year, including the rigging and parachutes. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse/Released)
Senior Airman Timothy Oberman, left, and Capt. Ryan Turonek, 36th Airlift Squadron, push a bundle of humanitarian aid out the back of a C-130 Hercules during Operation Christmas Drop Dec. 13, 2012. Riggers from the 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron decorated some of the bundles with Christmas colors and wrote holiday greetings to the islanders on the skid plates. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse/Released)
Capt. Ryan Turonek, left, and Senior Airman Timothy Oberman, 36th Airlift Squadron, sit on the back ramp of a C-130 Hercules after a successful low-cost, low altitude drop during Operation Christmas Drop Dec. 13, 2012. While used as a training opportunity for C-130 crews, each crew member expressed how gratifying it was to make a difference in the lives of the Pacific islanders they dropped humanitarian aid to. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse/Released)
Chief Master Sgt. Reynold Albright, 36th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, walks back inside a C-130 Hercules after a successful Christmas Drop, Dec. 15, 2012. Often flying at only 300 feet above the ground, loadmasters wear safety tethers and helmets to stay safe during the turbulent low-altitude drops. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse/Released)
Chief Master Sgt. Reynold Albright, 36th Airlift Squadron loadmaster, looks out the back of a C-130 Hercules during Operation Christmas Drop, Dec. 15, 2012. Airmen from the 374th Airlift Wing at Yokota Air Base, Japan, to include the 36 AS, 374th Maintenance Group and 374th Logistics Readiness Squadron, packed more than 65 bundles of humanitarian aid donated by organizations around the Pacific and delivered them to more than 30,000 islanders in Chuuk, Palau, Yap, the Marshall Islands and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Samuel Morse/Released)