Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Christmas in Guam 2008

Faith dressed up for Christmas dinner.
Look at those eyes.
Christmas morning.
Ben trying on Faith's sunglasses.
Faith is terrified by those big red men with the white beards.

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Ben in Korea - Dec 2008

This is a picture of Propaganda Village, the fake North Korean town they built years ago to try to impress South Korea. No one actually lives here, and a few years ago they stopped blaring propaganda incessantly over the loudspeakers. The flagpole is 600 feet tall.
This is building T 2 where the Ceasefire was signed in 1953 and where all meetings between the two parties are held to this day. It sits right on the border of North and South Korea. Those are two South Korean guards.
This is the "Welcome House" where the North Koreans watch the South Koreans from and occasionally venture out to harass them. You can see a guard looking at us through his binoculars. He's in front of the leftmost door.
A North Korean guard post. Behind, you can see the North Korean hills which are competely stripped of trees to fuel fires. See what Communism gives you!
This is Freedom Bridge where 12,000 American and South Korean POW's walked to freedom in 1953. Also, about 80 Americans were released across this bridge in 1969. They were the sailors from the USS Pueblo which was seized in 1968 by North Korean commandos.

Friday, December 19, 2008

Operation Christmas Drop 2008 - Micronesian Islands

Carrie took this photo out the back of the C-130 over some island in the Federated States of Micronesia. The crates attached to parachutes have just been dropped off the end of the plane. The crates are full of antibiotics, fishing tackle, and other necessities to help the islanders on these remote islands without even an airstrip to survive through the year.
A crate about to be dropped.
Both Carrie and I are involved in volunteering with Operation Christmas Drop, the oldest Department of Defense humanitarian effort. It has been in continuous operation for 56 years helping to provide basic supplies to islands across the Pacific where Islanders truly live on the very edge of survival. No connection to civilization, no trade, no runway on the island.
High above Chuuk Lagoon, where the Japenese fleet was sunk in February 1944. The flight Carrie was on was dropping on islands near Chuuk Lagoon.
Carrie looking back at Andersen Air Force Base's airstrip after taking off.