DYESS AIR FORCE BASE, Texas --
Six Airmen assigned to the 317th Airlift Wing completed a volunteer, four-day training mission in Colombia, South America, May 12, 2018.
The mission, which supported a joint humanitarian aid exercise, which gave approximately 3,500 Colombian children by delivering nearly 15,500 pounds of education supplies, such as desks and school kits as part of the Denton Program.
The Denton Program is a Department of Defense transportation program, which moves humanitarian cargo donated by U.S. based Non-Governmental Organizations. The cargo was unloaded at the El Dorado International Airport with the help of some of the crew and equipment assigned to the airport. It was then transported to Bogota, Colombia, and was supported through the Continuing Promise 2018 training mission, which helps strengthen regional partnerships while improving the lives of thousands of people in Honduras, Guatemala, and Colombia.
“One objective out of this mission was to show Air Mobility Command and our squadron the unique missions that can be done out of the Denton Program,” said Staff Sgt. Brandon Deal, 39th Airlift Squadron instructor loadmaster.
Capt. Jeffre Wood, 39th AS chief of unit readiness, explained that after submitting an application to Charleston AFB, South Carolina, a weekly list is published to operational squadrons that can volunteer to use extra space to move cargo in conjunction with operations in training efforts.
“We wanted to demonstrate the capability to coordinate with agencies outside the United States and train in a way that was very similar to how we operate in places like Africa,” said Wood. “These educational supplies offered us the perfect opportunity to do just that while also helping out a great cause. It was a real win-win.”
For more information about the Denton Program, visit https://www.ustranscom.mil/mov/denton.cfm.