Soldiers and Airmen of the Alaska National Guard are bringing holiday cheer to communities in need.
Through Operation Santa Claus, the Alaska National Guard has partnered with organizations and volunteers to deliver gifts, food and school supplies to children in Alaskan villages.
Operation Santa Claus began in 1956 when spring floods, followed by a local drought, led to drastic reductions in the indigenous wildlife in the western Alaskan village of St. Mary’s. The local villagers, who normally hunt and fish for all their food, were forced to pay to have food shipped in to get them through the fierce Alaskan winter. Having only enough money to pay for the food, the villagers’ children would have to go without Christmas gifts that season. Not wanting the children of St. Mary’s to go without at Christmas time, the mother superior of the village’s Roman Catholic mission wrote to the Alaska National Guard for help. The Alaska Air Guard quickly answered the call and delivered gifts, food and a special guest – Santa Claus.
Though he was a child at the time, Bill Alstrom, St. Mary’s current mayor, recalls the first operation. “It was awesome,” said Alstrom. “They landed on the river – they were in a C-123 Provider [transport plane], and of course they brought Santa Claus.”
While the village’s Roman Catholic mission closed in the late 1980s, the Alaska National Guard’s dedication to the program did not cease. Operation Santa Claus has evolved over the years, and is now a large partnership with the Alaska Army National Guard and more than 30 local organizations.
“The Alaska National Guard’s Operation Santa Claus began with the Air Guard’s 144th Airlift Squadron flying a C-123 Provider to St. Mary’s in 1956,” said LTC Candia Olmstead, member of the Operation Santa Claus Advisory Board. “Since then, Air National Guard C-130s, Army National Guard C-23 Sherpa, UH-60 Black Hawk and other aircraft have transported Santa and Mrs. Claus, elves, gifts, food, books, school supplies, fruit and ice cream to tens of thousands of children throughout rural Alaska.”
Each year, Soldiers and Airmen of the Alaska National Guard, along with volunteers from the local community, come together to make up the Operation Santa Claus advisory board. Dedicated to planning the festive event, the board consists of about 75 members who are separated into several committees, including volunteers, gifts, transportation and communications. Planning for the event typically begins in March, with deliveries slated between October and early December.
The National Guard rotates the delivery of gifts between small groups of villages in the State. Depending on the year, Operation Santa Claus delivers to between two and six Alaskan villages. To choose which villages will receive gifts, Alaska’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management assists the Alaska National Guard by identifying the villages that have faced hardships that year. For Operation Santa Claus 2017, deliveries were made to Kipnuk and St. Michaels.
Not all of the gifts given through Operation Santa Claus come from the National Guard. Children’s items that are not easily accessible in the villages are donated by partnering organizations and individual community members. Alaska-based commercial vendors donate backpacks for each child in that year’s selected villages, and Salvation Army Alaska donates school supplies and toiletries to fill the backpacks. The Salvation Army also contributes gifts that have been donated by people in the larger Alaskan community.
“One local business donates ice cream and toppings for children to have sundaes. In the villages, it is not uncommon to see a half-gallon of ice cream cost about $20,” LTC Olmstead said. “Fresh fruit, which is also expensive and sparse in village stores – especially during winter months – is donated by another local business.”
Most villages that receive deliveries through Operation Santa Claus have a runway that can accommodate a C-130 or C-17 to land, permitting about 40 Guard members and volunteers to travel for the mission. However, some villages cannot support a large military cargo aircraft. For these villages, Soldiers and civilian volunteers fly with Alaska Airmen to a larger hub village in a C-130 Hercules or C-17 Globemaster III. From there, the Alaska Army National Guard transports passengers to the village using Black Hawk helicopters. In this scenario, only 10 to 20 personnel can assist with the event due to limited space.
“After the plane lands in the village, locals meet the group at the airplane and transport them to the village’s K-12 school where the Operation Santa event will take place,” LTC Olmstead explained. “The guests, who are ‘Op Santa elves’, are transported in the back of pickup trucks, on four-wheelers and snowmobiles or oftentimes on a dog sled being pulled by a snowmobile.”
During the event, children and their families join ‘Op Santa elves’ in their school’s auditorium, eagerly awaiting the arrival of Santa and Mrs. Claus.
“The children were really excited to learn they were coming. And so were the adults,” said Sam Gosuk, principal of the Togiak School, about Operation Santa Claus 2016.
As part of Operation Santa Claus 2016, deliveries were made to Togiak, Akiak, Akiachak, Tuluksak and Grayling.
“Op Santa is a huge event in the villages,” LTC Olmstead said. “The children wait in anticipation, full of excitement and energy. As the Op Santa elves work quickly to get all of the gifts, food and supplies into the school gymnasium, Santa and Mrs. Claus are usually in a discreet area waiting for festivities to begin, so they can be introduced at the beginning of the program.”
At the event, stations are set up in a school’s auditorium, and the donated goods are organized into different categories. Children are called up by age group – ranging from infant to 18 – to receive their gifts, a backpack filled with supplies, books and fruit. This is all topped off with an ice cream sundae, which each child receives after getting their gifts and school supplies. While there, children can take pictures with Santa and Mrs. Claus, interact with Soldiers and Airmen and enjoy performances put on by local civilians. Villagers will often perform Alaska Native dancing and singing to show their appreciation to those who planned and volunteered at the event.
“The children and families are so excited and appreciative,” LTC Olmstead said. “They are full of smiles and gratitude. Many of the children will approach volunteers to talk and ask questions or to take photos. Sometimes Soldiers and Airmen challenge the kids to do push-ups to see who can do the most. For many years, the Salvation Army has sent an ensemble to play music. Other times, someone plays a piano or keyboard, providing holiday music and leading the crowd in Christmas carols.”
Over the years, Operation Santa has gained support from several local officials. In 2015, per the residents’ request, Alaska governor Bill Walker participated in the event, when deliveries were made to St. Mary’s and Savoogna.
“Thank you to the Alaska National Guard who flew us out here today, and to the tons of volunteers [that helped] make this happen,” said Governor Walker.
At the heart of Operation Santa is the same underlying goal that drives every National Guard mission – to assure State residents that the Guard is there for them and always ready to serve and protect their needs.
“Many of us have lived in Alaska for a long time and Operation Santa Claus is still the first opportunity we have to get to a small, remote Alaskan village,” LTC Olmstead said. “It is enriching to interact with the citizens who live in the villages and to see the uniqueness of each location. The people in the village are very welcoming and hospitable, and it is a true joy to spend a day serving them. All service events are such a wonderful opportunity to show generosity and kindness to others, and this is an extraordinary and unique experience to be part of.”
“I think the community feels loved and appreciated,” said Reyna Hartz, Yupit School District superintendent, when describing the atmosphere of Operation Santa Claus in 2016.
April Gettys, an Operation Santa Claus event organizer, recalls the reaction of villagers during Operation Santa Claus 2015.
“When we got there, perfect strangers would wrap their arms around you and tell you they love you just because you came to their village,” said Gettys. “I think our Airmen, Soldiers and elves got more out of [the event] than the village did, and that says a lot. Just going there and seeing how much the people appreciated it – that makes it all worthwhile. It’s an eye-opener and it helps you realize what really matters in life.”
Operation Santa Claus allows the Alaska National Guard and volunteer community members to not only provide tangible goods to those in need, but to also deliver a feeling of comfort and joy during the holiday season. LTC Olmstead said she feels honored to be a part of an event that holds great significance to Alaska’s struggling communities.
“The event is important because, though it began in response to a natural disaster, it has continued as a way to reach rural Alaska for building community relationships and serving those in remote areas,” explained LTC Olmstead. “Engaging Alaskan communities is a priority for the Alaska National Guard, and Operation Santa Claus helps us to do that. Many Alaskans in rural communities could go most of their lives without any personal interaction with U.S. military service members, and Operation Santa Claus allows Soldiers and Airmen to reach out to them and show they care in a personal and tangible way.”
By Staff Writer Tatyana White-Jenkins
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