BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan — Coalition forces and contractors teamed up to air drop more than 30 humanitarian-aid filled boxes to forward operating bases in eastern Afghanistan July 5.
Using specialized boxes called copter boxes, which permitted supplies to be parachuted down from a Blackwater Aviation aircraft, the combined group distributed care packages to two different FOBs.
"This was a great opportunity to get the joint services out there - the Army, Navy, Air Force, along with Blackwater - to do the mission," said Army Maj. Richard Glisson, Combined Joint Task Force-82 aero-delivery officer and flight jumpmaster. "Hopefully, [U.S. service members] will be able to use all of the items we sent. We looked for FOBs with [a small number of] paratroopers. We delivered packages to them from Operation Care and a lot of generous folks from around Bagram Airfield. They've donated everything from tube-socks to Girl Scout cookies. We wanted to get some of the good stuff forward that we find so common here on Bagram."
"They have a lot harder life out there then we do," added Army Master Sgt. Wilburn Penick, of the command chaplain's office and flight jumpmaster from Sanford, Fla. "[With these drops] they are going to get a lot of things that we have here at Bagram that they don't have. I hope these items will help increase morale and show them that we appreciate all that [the coalition forces] are doing out there."
Over the course of the next several weeks, the team hopes to deliver a total of 120 boxes to eight FOBs. The copter boxes containing toiletries, snacks and other items will aid approximately 300 coalition force service members in desolate areas of eastern Afghanistan.
Date Taken: | 07.06.2007 |
Date Posted: | 07.06.2007 12:12 |
Story ID: | 11152 |
Location: | BAGRAM AIR FIELD, AF |
Web Views: | 177 |
Downloads: | 139 |
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