Toys, children and lives saved

Ann's job was to monitor the back door near where the pretty brand new red wagons, tricycles and bicycles are displayed. She found people courteous and appreciative that their children would receive a special gift this year.

The day was bitter cold with a brisk north wind, yet a good number of people, with their children, were patiently waiting outside the door of the armory. Attendance seemed to be down a little probably due to the bitter weather but, my guess, 500 persons did attend the happy event. Barb, the wonderful lady that organizes the annual event, wanted it known that if anyone with a true need of gifts for their young'uns this Christmas to give her a call at (308) 345-1187. Even with layoffs and a shriveling economy, no child should go without a very special gift.

New this year was a gift wrapping service so special gifts could go back home and under the Christmas tree. Santa, too, made an appearance and took time to have a picture taken each willing child.

The community was generous and many more stuffed animal toys were on display than went home in happy little arms. After all became quiet and the crowd dispersed, Ann sorted through and selected several boxes of the smallest stuffed animals for another special project.

I've written before of Ann's association with a grand organization called "Adopt a Chaplain." www.adopt-a-chaplain.org

The small stuffed toys that she selected we will take to San Jose, Calif. There the Adopt-a-Chaplain volunteer group gathers weekly to pack special postal boxes that are sent to more than 100 military chaplains in overseas posts around the world. The chaplains sent back requests for special items, jerky, home made cookies and candy are popular, and the stuffed toys also go in to make the box tight so it won't rattle. Eventfully the little toys are given to GIs who carry them in their pockets to give to little Iraqi, Afghan or curious children world around who gather around American GI with their little hands out.

So a tip of the hat to all the volunteers who make the Toy Box possible, to all who donate money and toys to give away and especially to the youthful "offenders" from the Work Ethic Camp who "donate" countless hours scrubbing, combing, repairing and in general making the used toys look good as new. Ann felt privileged to be among them and someday in a world away a child in a war torn country will also feel the warm generosity of the wonderful people of Southwestern Nebraska who give give give!

This week I picked up the following from an Air Force online blog:

"Just Another Day at the Office: U.S. airmen and aircraft played a key role Dec. 10 in working with the Royal Air Force to save the life of a Burmese man who suffered a life-threatening head injury onboard a Liberian-flagged cargo ship more than 320 miles west of Cork, Ireland. Two USAF HH-60G rescue helicopters from the 56th Rescue Squadron at RAF Lakenheath, Britain, flew pararescueman to the ship. Once lowered on deck, they attended to the injured man, who had fallen 40 feet from a container. He was then hoisted aboard one of the HH-60Gs and flown to Shannon, Ireland, for hospital treatment. Because of the distances involved, an MC-130P from the 67th Special Operations Squadron at RAF Mildenhall, Britain, accompanied the helicopters to refuel them. Even the MC-130P required more fuel during the mission, so a KC-135 of the 351st Air Refueling Squadron at Mildenhall went airborne to support it. An RAF Nimrod maritime surveillance aircraft provided communications support. Airmen with the 603rd Air and Space Operations Center at Ramstein AB, Germany, coordinated all of the rescue activities during the half-day mission. "The UK and US rescue coordination was outstanding," said Lt. Col. Neil Eisen, 56th RQS commander. (Ramstein report by Maj. Cristin Marposon)"

The report made me especially proud of our U.S. Air Force for several reasons. Here one of the pure jet powered birds, that I flew and came to love, managed to refuel a prop-jet C-130 cargo-type aircraft that was also configured as a tanker. The 135's fly too fast to refuel helicopters and moreover are normally configured with a stiff boom. Helicopters refuel at much slower airspeeds and use a long hose behind the tanker in a probe-and-drogue setup. So the C-130 speeds up to take on fuel behind the KC-135 and then the very same KC-130 slows to helicopter speed to give life-saving fuel to rescue helicopters. As the author implied it was all in a day's work.

It wasn't always so. In the days when I flew them, our KC-135 tankers only refueled bombers and fighters. SAC owned the tankers and were stingy with their use. In 1967, over the Gulf of Tonkin, not far from Haiphong, my crew did the first-ever refueling with six US Navy aircraft, providing emergency fuel so they could make it back to their carriers. SAC really did not approve but we let the genie out of the box and now the Navy regularly refuels from Air Force tankers and it isn't uncommon to refuel KC-130's and about every other cargo aircraft in service. And why not? Lives saved is a pretty good benefit.

I still wonder who gets the bill for the cost of the fuel.

That is the way I see it.