Like Santa’s reindeer, C-130 cargo planes unfold Christmas pleasure throughout the Pacific
NEWS AND OPINION:
Let’s journey to Andersen Air Force Base on Guam, situated 3,800 miles west of Hawaii and established in 1945 as a B-29 bomber base. The base is dwelling to eight,000 joint service members, civilians, and contractors, together with 2,500 dependents. Here’s an concept of The Christmas season on the bottom:
“Operation Christmas Drop is the Department of Defense’s longest-running humanitarian airlift operation. The tradition began during the Christmas season in 1952 when a B-29 Superfortress aircrew saw islanders waving at them from the island of Kapingamarangi, 3,500 miles southwest of Hawaii. In the spirit of Christmas the aircrew dropped a bundle of supplies attached to a parachute to the islanders below, giving the operation its name. Today, air drop operations include more than 50 islands throughout the Pacific,” notes a written report from the bottom itself, which will be discovered at Andersen.af.mil/ocd.
“Operation Christmas Drop is a PACAF event which includes a partnership between the 374th Airlift Wing, Yokota Air Base, Japan; the 36th Wing, Andersen Air Force Base, Guam; 734th Air Mobility Squadron, Andersen AFB of the 515th Air Mobility Operations Wing, Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii; the University of Guam; and the ‘Operation Christmas Drop’ private organization which leads the fundraising and donations for the operation. Andersen is used as a ‘base camp’ to airlift the donated goods to islanders throughout Micronesia,” the report mentioned.
“C-130J Super Hercules crews airdrop food, supplies, educational materials, and toys to islanders throughout the Federated States of Micronesia, and Republic of Palau. These islands are some of the most remote locations on the globe spanning a distance nearly as broad as the continental U.S.” it suggested.
For those that want a translation, PACAF stands for “Pacific Air Forces” and “C-130J” is a four-engine turboprop transport plane.
The effort started on Dec. 6 and delivered nonperishable meals, fishing provides, faculty books and toys to 42,000 individuals on 58 distant islands throughout 1.8 million sq. miles, and included assist from volunteers together with multi-national air crews from Japan, South Korea and Canada, and floor assist from Philippines and Australia.
REAGAN’S CHRISTMAS MESSAGE
Ronald Reagan was an eloquent president, that’s for positive. Here is what he mentioned in his Christmas message to the nation in 1981.
“On Christmas, we celebrate the birth of Christ with prayer, feasting, and great merriment. But, most of all, we experience it in our hearts. For, more than just a day, Christmas is a state of mind. It is found throughout the year whenever faith overcomes doubt, hope conquers despair, and love triumphs over hate,” Reagan advised Americans that yr.
“It is present when men of any creed bring love and understanding to the hearts of their fellow man. The feeling is seen in the wondrous faces of children and in the hopeful eyes of the aged. It overflows the hearts of cheerful givers and the souls of the caring. And it is reflected in the brilliant colors, joyful sounds, and beauty of the winter season,” he mentioned.
“Let us resolve to honor this spirit of Christmas and strive to keep it throughout the year. Nancy and I ask you to join us in a prayer that prudence, wisdom, and understanding might descend on the people of all nations — so that during the year ahead we may realize an ancient and wondrous dream: Peace on earth, good will toward men.”
EISENHOWER’S EGG NOG
The thirty fourth president of the United States had a recipe for eggnog. And right here it’s, courtesy of the Eisenhower Presidential Library, which included this model of the seasonal drink in “Ike’s Cookbook” — which additionally supplied recipes for biscuits, chili con carne and “President Eisenhower’s Old Fashioned Beef Stew.”
But on to the egg nog recipe. Here it’s, verbatim from the supply:
“Egg Nog
1 doz. egg yolks
1 lb. granulated sugar
1 qt. bourbon (part of this may be either rum or brandy)
1 qt. coffee cream
1 qt. whipping cream.
“Put the dozen egg yolks in an electric mixer. Feed in the granulated sugar very slowly so as to get a completely smooth, clear light mixture. When this is perfectly smooth, begin to add the bourbon very slowly. (The process up to here would normally consume at least 30 minutes — with a good mixer.) Add one quart of coffee cream.
“Put the whole thing in the ice box until a half hour before serving, at which time the whipping cream should be beaten until only moderately thick. Be careful not to get it too thick. Mix it slowly into mixture and serve with nutmeg.”
Find the Eisenhower Presidential Library at EisenhowerLibrary.gov. For a better have a look at the president’s private life, go to the “The Eisenhowers” pull-down menu and click on on the “Ike and Mamie’s Favorites” part.
THE COOKIE FACTOR
Monmouth University has appeared into the Christmas cookie preferences of the nation’s citizenry to find {that a} “frosted sugar cookie” is the favourite, in accordance with its very particular ballot. About a 3rd of respondents — 32% — most well-liked the sugar cookie.
Next on the cookie reputation parade comes gingerbread cookies, favored by 12%, adopted by chocolate chip cookies (favored by 11%), snickerdoodles (6%), butter cookies (4%), chocolate cookies (4%); peanut butter cookies (4%) — plus spice cookies, fruit and nut cookies, oatmeal and almond cookies, plus teacakes and brownies — all favored by 2% of the respondents.
And yet another discovering: Another 13% cited a variety of unspecified “other varieties,” in accordance with the ballot.
See extra of the survey and its particulars within the Poll du Jour at column’s finish
POLL DU JOUR
• 89% of U.S. adults rejoice Christmas.
• 79% suppose that Santa Claus would put them on a “nice list”
• 76% play Christmas music throughout the whole vacation season.
• 75% beautify their dwelling.
• 69% make Christmas sweet, cookies, or desserts
• 47% have a favourite Christmas cookie.
• 43% volunteer for charitable actions.
• 9% go caroling.
SOURCE: A Monmouth University ballot of 803 U.S. adults performed Nov. 30-Dec. 4. Respondents may cite a number of actions.
• Merry Christmas, and thanks for studying Inside the Beltway.
