Coalition aircrews deliver school supplies, ship flags to donators in U.S. in thanks Published June 18, 2010 By Capt. Robert Leese 438th Air Expeditionary Wing KABUL -- Back in early 2010, the 438th AEW Enlisted Council was approached with a request to provide school supplies to the children in local Kabul Schools. Airmen received over two tons of supplies and delivered the supplies to more than 2,000 children in the greater Kabul area. What started as a "local" effort has now turned into an Afghanistan-wide effort. The council received so many supplies that an idea was hatched to use Afghan Air Corps helicopters to deliver supplies to the villages not normally visited by U.S. forces or the Afghan National Army. The first trip was to Badakshan Province in Northern Afghanistan. Afghan and Coalition airmen delivered supplies and books to three different villages and since then -- aircrews have visited two more schools and the third one is in the works. To properly thank those who donated the supplies back in the U.S., the Enlisted Council worked with a U.S. flag distributor in the states to get 3x5 flags donated. They are sending the flags flown in the Afghan Air Corps helicopters back to the people that send supplies. U.S. military members have the opportunity to get flags flown every day, but those who donated the supplies will receive a box in the mail -- inside they will find a personal letter from Brig. Gen. Boera, 438th AEW Commander, a certificate and a U.S. flag, flown on a Russian MI-17, in Afghanistan that delivered the school supplies they provided.