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: |
178 |
| Downloads: |
139 |
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