Bagram Airmen deliver students' gifts

Published Dec. 23, 2012
By Master Sgt. Jun Kim
455th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs

BAGRAM AIRFIELD, Afghanistan -- Are you staying warm? Are you getting enough sleep and food? Are you wearing clean underwear? Do you need anything?

For moms around the world, this list of questions is written in standard operating procedures for deployed family members.

Senior Airman Ross Johnson, of the 774th Air Expeditionary Squadron was having a similar conversation with his mom, Donna Newman. However, when he told his mom that there were Soldiers and Airmen needing supplies out in remote operating locations, Newman's need to take care of her son and other servicemembers rang a challenge and sparked a whole community in Worthington, Ohio.

Johnson commented that some forward operating bases in Afghanistan were in need of some basic supplies not accessible in their locations.

"Well, if you want more boxes, I have 400 students, and we can certainly collect and send more," Newman said.

Newman is a middle school social studies teacher and a member of the Buckeye Military Moms. Both are jobs that require tenacity, a heart full of love and a willingness to sacrifice for her kids.

Newman organized her students and those from two other middle schools to help collect, pack and ship more than 200 boxes to her son.

Johnson then coordinated the movement of those boxes out to the FOBs through the help of his fellow Airmen and Soldiers in the 11th Quartermasters Detachment. Quartermasters are Army riggers for all the airdrop bundles that come out of Bagram.

Once rigged, the pallets are loaded into C-130 Hercules aircraft for airdrop into those remote locations.

Johnson's commander, Lt. Col. Brian Watkins, appreciates the extra effort his loadmaster makes to help his fellow servicemembers with his spare time.

"When he is not flying to execute the squadron's mission, he takes his personal time to enhance the morale and welfare of other--his selfless actions are simply outstanding!" said Watkins.

"A lot of these boxes get delivered to these extremely remote FOBs out in Afghanistan where they don't have a lot of the things that big bases like us have," said Johnson. He added that it is awesome to see the younger kids keep the servicemembers in mind.

"Everyone that receives one of these boxes will have a genuine gratitude for the time and money spent on sending them over."