WEBVTT 00:04.993 --> 00:08.326 - Currently I am the gopher for support, 00:10.235 --> 00:11.985 totally volunteering. 00:12.158 --> 00:13.429 The University of Guam's been good enough 00:13.429 --> 00:17.217 to allow me to keep a space in here and keep our HF radio, 00:17.217 --> 00:18.374 which connects the islands. 00:18.374 --> 00:20.096 So every morning we get up at nine o'clock 00:20.096 --> 00:22.343 and do our news and weather broadcasts to the islands, 00:22.343 --> 00:24.973 and of course Christmas Drop is the star of the whole year, 00:24.973 --> 00:26.381 bringing Christmas. 00:26.381 --> 00:28.141 So I'm pretty much a volunteer now, 00:28.141 --> 00:31.315 used to work here at the university for 35 years. 00:31.315 --> 00:33.200 Now I come back for this every year, 00:33.200 --> 00:37.367 because it's the best thing that's going on in the Pacific. 00:37.378 --> 00:39.714 US Military's helping 60 islands, 00:39.714 --> 00:42.078 dropping medicine and food and supplies. 00:42.078 --> 00:44.001 This is the greatest thing for Micronesia, 00:44.001 --> 00:45.186 and that's my home. 00:45.186 --> 00:47.274 So I've been to all these islands many times, 00:47.274 --> 00:49.275 and I have family out there, 00:49.275 --> 00:51.603 so I'll do everything I can til I die 00:51.603 --> 00:53.163 to keep this Christmas Drop going. 00:53.163 --> 00:53.996 65 years! 00:54.563 --> 00:55.896 Air Force rocks! 00:56.539 --> 01:00.706 Actually, running it on the radio every year has been good, 01:02.397 --> 01:05.351 and solid and I'm glad I can be of help 01:05.351 --> 01:06.779 to the planes in the air, 01:06.779 --> 01:10.020 and be sure they drop on the right islands. 01:10.020 --> 01:13.409 But it was very interesting when I'm out there working. 01:13.409 --> 01:17.535 We had a typhoon a couple years, so the days got dropped. 01:17.535 --> 01:20.970 We couldn't drop on those days, so we actually, 01:20.970 --> 01:24.463 Air Force actually had the whole top of their hangar 01:24.463 --> 01:25.867 blown off one year. 01:25.867 --> 01:28.293 So I had to get all those boxes out there. 01:28.293 --> 01:30.053 They did drop Alamagan and Guguan, 01:30.053 --> 01:31.279 they dropped on the way home, 01:31.279 --> 01:34.476 so we kept the history going with continuous drops. 01:34.476 --> 01:36.329 So they dropped on the Northern Mariana's, 01:36.329 --> 01:38.169 but the whole middle of Micronesia 01:38.169 --> 01:41.237 was pretty much devastated by this typhoon. 01:41.237 --> 01:44.023 So I ended up working out there for two or three months. 01:44.023 --> 01:48.147 I was out there late in January, and all of a sudden, 01:48.147 --> 01:51.922 we're putting up a tower in the taro patch for communication 01:51.922 --> 01:53.073 for the little dispensary, 01:53.073 --> 01:56.713 and all the sudden you can hear the rumble, and everybody, 01:56.713 --> 02:00.193 this is Tobi, the most remote island in Palau, 02:00.193 --> 02:02.405 it's way down there by Indonesia. 02:02.405 --> 02:05.394 Setting their system up for them, solar power communication. 02:05.394 --> 02:08.581 You could hear that rumble, and everybody in the village, 02:08.581 --> 02:10.220 this was like 20 years ago, 02:10.220 --> 02:13.040 everybody in the village knew exactly what it was. 02:13.040 --> 02:14.957 It was the C-130 sound, 02:15.291 --> 02:17.861 'cause they don't get a lot of traffic out there, 02:17.861 --> 02:19.210 and it come rumbling over, 02:19.210 --> 02:22.152 and it was like everybody just dropped what they're doing 02:22.152 --> 02:24.740 from the taro patch, my team dropped all their tools, 02:24.740 --> 02:27.609 I got down from the tower, we ran to the beach, 02:27.609 --> 02:30.599 got a flag out, they came back and did another pass, 02:30.599 --> 02:34.766 and dropped a box right on the sand, six feet, you know, 02:34.892 --> 02:37.888 between the water and the bush, right there. 02:37.888 --> 02:40.513 And it was like Christmas Drop in January. 02:40.513 --> 02:41.779 They didn't forget us. 02:41.779 --> 02:44.150 They'll always remember the Air Force didn't forget them, 02:44.150 --> 02:45.458 even after the typhoon. 02:45.458 --> 02:47.467 So, those were great days. 02:47.467 --> 02:51.634 My main task, besides feeding and watering all the troops 02:52.584 --> 02:54.584 for the beach parties, et cetera, 02:54.584 --> 02:58.751 is to be sure all the islands are ready for the drops. 02:59.290 --> 03:00.687 We have them all lined up. 03:00.687 --> 03:02.484 We have many meetings throughout the year, 03:02.484 --> 03:05.343 Christmas Drops all year for team Guam here. 03:05.343 --> 03:07.837 So we're collecting stuff, having fundraisers, 03:07.837 --> 03:09.880 and so my job is to be sure all the island, 03:09.880 --> 03:13.052 we select the islands, all of them are remote, 03:13.052 --> 03:15.103 there's none of them with airports, 03:15.103 --> 03:17.887 United doesn't drop in on any of these islands, 03:17.887 --> 03:20.427 this is all the most remote islands in the world. 03:20.427 --> 03:23.510 They have no communication, no water, 03:23.783 --> 03:24.874 they have to collect their own water, 03:24.874 --> 03:27.126 I got a couple solar panels to run the radio. 03:27.126 --> 03:31.042 So these remote islands, I coordinate the drops 03:31.042 --> 03:32.749 every day with these guys. 03:32.749 --> 03:35.744 So what it is, I have to be sure safety first. 03:35.744 --> 03:38.625 So I be sure the drop zone's all clear, 03:38.625 --> 03:41.903 be sure they're all ready with their marked flags out 03:41.903 --> 03:45.440 on the DZ, and then be sure they keep the kids out, 03:45.440 --> 03:48.077 'cause the kids get so excited when Santa leans out 03:48.077 --> 03:50.782 of the back of that C-130 and that box comes out, 03:50.782 --> 03:52.890 and that parachute opens, they all go nuts, 03:52.890 --> 03:55.046 so they rush the first box, 03:55.046 --> 03:58.564 "You guys clear the DZ so they can get you another box!" 03:58.564 --> 04:00.981 And sometimes the chief says, 04:01.300 --> 04:05.105 "Bros, too late, change the drop zone down the beach aways, 04:05.105 --> 04:07.727 "'cause they're already too crazy to control." 04:07.727 --> 04:09.913 So, we control the drop zones 04:09.913 --> 04:12.350 so that we don't have any injuries, 04:12.350 --> 04:14.643 and be sure all the islands are ready to go 04:14.643 --> 04:17.726 when the C-130s are over top of them. 04:18.309 --> 04:20.796 Yeah, well, last night there was a little discussion 04:20.796 --> 04:22.910 about an exit plan, and, you know, 04:22.910 --> 04:25.662 the bottom line is I'll probably just keep doing this 04:25.662 --> 04:26.495 til I die. 04:28.199 --> 04:30.793 Manny Hechanova, now, is a real good guy, 04:30.793 --> 04:34.307 I was lucky to find him, and he's running my operation here, 04:34.307 --> 04:36.926 where I used to be, in this house, as the director. 04:36.926 --> 04:40.670 Now he's the director, and I'm just a retired old F-A-R-T, 04:40.670 --> 04:44.145 sitting in the back room, taking care of the Christmas Drop 04:44.145 --> 04:45.209 and other things. 04:45.209 --> 04:49.376 But we're gonna keep it going, one was or the other. 04:49.704 --> 04:52.821 If I have to come in with my cane and my wheelchair, 04:52.821 --> 04:55.403 I can still talk to the islands, so. 04:55.403 --> 04:57.785 I come on now, I built a little remote place 04:57.785 --> 04:59.786 up on the side of the island in Hilo, 04:59.786 --> 05:01.646 so I flew over just for this every year, 05:01.646 --> 05:04.146 and this is what I'm here for. 05:06.080 --> 05:09.764 This year, not only did we have the participation 05:09.764 --> 05:13.182 of our Japanese and our Australian partners in the Pacific, 05:13.182 --> 05:14.432 which is great. 05:14.652 --> 05:17.810 I was talking to the chiefs, the copilots, the pilots 05:17.810 --> 05:19.817 last night on the Japanese plane, 05:19.817 --> 05:22.253 they said, "Bruce, domo arigato", 05:22.253 --> 05:24.862 'cause I talked to them a little bit, and I talked slow, 05:24.862 --> 05:27.015 so they got it, and they're very good 05:27.015 --> 05:29.112 on running the radio in English, 05:29.112 --> 05:32.350 and having them part of this team, now it's international, 05:32.350 --> 05:33.992 and they're getting training. 05:33.992 --> 05:35.424 The US Military's training them 05:35.424 --> 05:38.177 on these low level humanitarian drops, 05:38.177 --> 05:40.234 and he said "Bruce, believe it or not, 05:40.234 --> 05:44.163 "we were never able to drop til we came here last year. 05:44.163 --> 05:46.686 "I mean, 'cause we can't do it there 05:46.686 --> 05:48.477 "and, you know, we're learning." 05:48.477 --> 05:51.519 So this is important for them, and it's important for us, 05:51.519 --> 05:54.107 and of course, the Australians coming up, 05:54.107 --> 05:55.584 they have a presence in the Pacific 05:55.584 --> 05:57.473 with their C-130s, the Hercules, 05:57.473 --> 06:00.378 so their learning how to do these low level drops 06:00.378 --> 06:02.511 that the US Military specializes in. 06:02.511 --> 06:04.606 So, that was important this year. 06:04.606 --> 06:07.306 Number two, so far, we're halfway through, 06:07.306 --> 06:09.052 so far we haven't lost a box. 06:09.052 --> 06:11.719 That's real important this year. 06:11.735 --> 06:13.495 And everybody's very happy 06:13.495 --> 06:16.329 because we put a tremendous effort into this year, 06:16.329 --> 06:18.162 and we have 140 boxes. 06:18.177 --> 06:22.010 Usually it's in the 80 to 100, maybe, but 140. 06:22.630 --> 06:24.877 'Cause number one, the parachute's the most important thing 06:24.877 --> 06:25.710 in that box. 06:25.710 --> 06:26.945 They love the parachute, 06:26.945 --> 06:29.760 covers their whole school ground sometimes, 06:29.760 --> 06:30.624 you can see them. 06:30.624 --> 06:32.814 Covers the canoes, the traditional canoes 06:32.814 --> 06:35.038 where the navigators use out there. 06:35.038 --> 06:38.156 So the contents are getting more valuable to them, 06:38.156 --> 06:40.406 as sea level's rising, they're getting a little problem 06:40.406 --> 06:41.452 with their taro patches. 06:41.452 --> 06:43.669 They need the tools and equipment and stuff 06:43.669 --> 06:45.054 that we send out. 06:45.054 --> 06:48.604 So this year's a little bit unique, in that, 06:48.604 --> 06:52.771 more boxes, more players, everybody's learning a lot, 06:53.203 --> 06:56.444 and so far we haven't missed an island. 06:56.444 --> 07:00.611 We have a couple plans in the mix, we've been pushing. 07:00.778 --> 07:04.945 Number one, we want to be sure that we continue this, 07:05.533 --> 07:07.909 that's the big thing, and that looks solid, 07:07.909 --> 07:10.613 we're already planning next year. 07:10.613 --> 07:12.749 You'll have C-130s, the new series, J series, 07:12.749 --> 07:14.076 we hope to be joining them. 07:14.076 --> 07:15.878 We have the Air Force hopefully coming back 07:15.878 --> 07:17.961 from Australia and Japan. 07:19.270 --> 07:23.134 Number two, we're trying to include more islands. 07:23.134 --> 07:24.409 For instance, we want to go 07:24.409 --> 07:25.967 to the Republic of Marshall Islands. 07:25.967 --> 07:30.111 They have a similar situation, 20-25 outer islands 07:30.111 --> 07:32.444 that are not well supported, 07:33.259 --> 07:35.545 because transportation's expensive, 07:35.545 --> 07:37.654 and they're so diverse and so far out. 07:37.654 --> 07:39.573 These are 3 million square miles, 07:39.573 --> 07:42.153 they're really spread out out there. 07:42.153 --> 07:43.509 We're hoping to get there 07:43.509 --> 07:46.113 with the help of the Army base at Kwajalein, et cetera. 07:46.113 --> 07:47.034 So we're really hoping 07:47.034 --> 07:50.068 to extend the Christmas Drop out there. 07:50.068 --> 07:52.345 To be quite frank, the problem is me. 07:52.345 --> 07:54.189 I can't be in two places at once. 07:54.189 --> 07:55.963 See, I can't cover the Marshalls, 07:55.963 --> 07:57.967 which is a little out of our radio range 07:57.967 --> 08:00.012 for a single-sideband HF, 08:00.012 --> 08:04.179 and cover the FSM-Palau, and the CNMIs we're doing now. 08:04.699 --> 08:06.709 So we're trying to get it 08:06.709 --> 08:08.444 so maybe it's not at the same time, 08:08.444 --> 08:12.249 but it's hard for the training group, out of Yakota, 08:12.249 --> 08:13.832 to come here twice. 08:14.249 --> 08:16.797 So yeah, we've been talking about a summer Christmas, 08:16.797 --> 08:20.439 we call it Easter Drops, because we have typhoons, 08:20.439 --> 08:22.730 and we have problems in the middle of the summer, 08:22.730 --> 08:25.362 and the transition periods out here, as you know, 08:25.362 --> 08:27.386 major problems with calamities. 08:27.386 --> 08:29.841 So it would be great if we had a back up, 08:29.841 --> 08:32.459 but we're just lucky to keep what we got, 08:32.459 --> 08:34.959 and we're hoping to expand it, 08:34.959 --> 08:36.792 additional islands out in the Marshalls, 08:36.792 --> 08:39.648 coming up here in the next year or two. 08:39.648 --> 08:41.651 Don't give up on me, you're the... 08:41.651 --> 08:42.818 You guys Rock! 08:42.929 --> 08:43.762 - [Interviewer] Thank you sir. 08:43.762 --> 08:45.313 - Long live the Air Force! 08:45.313 --> 08:47.158 Long live those navigators!