Santa drops in on 'Jolly Green' holiday homecoming

Photo By Reynaldo Ramon | Santa Claus gives a wave to the pilots of a 33rd Rescue Squadron Pave Hawk before handing out presents to children attending a holiday homecoming party at the unit's maintenance hangar Dec. 10. The visit by jolly old Saint Nick topped off a week when half of the "Jolly Green Giant" unit returned from a four-month deployment to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.  

KADENA AIR BASE, JAPAN

12.10.2009

Story by Tech. Sgt. Jason Lake 

18th Wing

KADENA AIR BASE, Japan - Jolly old Saint Nick paid a special visit Dec. 10 to children of the "Jolly Green Giants" just days after half of the unit returned from a four-month deployment to Bagram Airfield, Afghanistan.

Dozens of family members watched as Santa Claus fast-roped out of a helicopter before handing out gifts to children at the 33rd Rescue Squadron's maintenance hangar.

"This is totally awesome," said Master Sgt. James Ray, 718th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, as he looked through a children's book with his three-year-old son, Brandon. "While I was gone, I missed birthdays, my daughter starting junior high school, and Thanksgiving, but I still made it home in time for Christmas."

After months of hard work maintaining the HH-60 Pave Hawk helicopters for combat search and rescue missions on the front lines, the 16-year veteran maintainer is eager to recharge his batteries with his family back home.

"I'm looking forward to spending as much time as possible with my wife and kids," he said.

Socorro Durbin, wife of Tech. Sgt. John Durbin from the 33rd RQS, was also relieved to have her husband home for the holidays.

"This is my Christmas present right here," Mrs. Durbin said as she hugged her husband. The two plan to celebrate their thirteenth wedding anniversary next month.

"I'm real excited to be home because last year we missed Christmas and Thanksgiving together," explained Sgt. Durbin. "The fact that I got to be home for Christmas this year is great."

More than 70 Airmen from the 33rd RQS and supporting units, such as the 718th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron, deployed to Bagram last August.

For young Airmen like Airman 1st Class Eric Eberhardt, the deployment brought a wealth of experience and a different perspective on life.

"Here at home station, most of the job is joint training operations, but out there we saw how that training pays off... saving lives," the 718th AMXS communications and navigation apprentice said about his first deployment. "If the unit didn't have the right equipment working at the right time, they couldn't go out and save lives. It made me proud to be an American."

In the four months deployed, the 33rd RQS was credited with saving the lives of 20 seriously injured coalition service members and local citizens. The unit also transported more than 95 patients with non-life threatening injuries or illnesses.

"We helped everyone, from a four-year-old local boy to a 65-year-old Department of Defense civilian," explained Capt. Kile Kimberlin, a 33rd RQS pilot who returned with the rest of the group Wednesday night. "The majority of missions involved improvised explosive device injuries and gunshot wounds."

On one of the final missions in Afghanistan, the 33rd RQS played a critical role in recovering three civilian contractors killed when their MI-8 helicopter crashed in poor weather conditions Nov. 23.

The August deployment of the 33rd RQS and 718th AMXS marked the second 120-day deployment to Afghanistan in a year. The units also deployed to Bagram in the fall of 2008 and returned to Kadena in January.

• Date Taken: 12.10.2009
• Date Posted: 12.13.2009 19:08
• Story ID: 42699
• Location: KADENA AIR BASE, JP