Operation Santa brings holiday cheer to local children

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class Victor J. Caputo
  • 22nd Air Refueling Wing Public Affairs
MCCONNELL AIR FORCE BASE, Kan. --  The 349th Air Refueling Squadron "Bandits" took 18 children on a tour of the base Dec. 20, during the annual Operation Santa event.

The 349th teamed up with Big Brothers Big Sisters Wichita to show the children different parts of the base, including a military working dog demonstration, an opportunity to "fly" the KC-135 Stratotanker simulator, and tour of the base fire department.

"We wanted to make sure these kids have a good Christmas," said 1st Lt. Brad Obergfell, 349th ARS pilot. "I hope they're able to cherish this day and see that maybe the Air Force is a cool thing to do in the future.

The final stop for the group of "littles" was lunch under a KC-135 Stratotanker with pilots and boom operators from the 349th ARS. A hearty "Ho-ho-ho" was heard ringing through the hanger as the children climbed through the aircraft, and "Santa" strolled up to the children with several boxes of gifts.

Each child put together a wish list of gifts, which the Bandits provided.

"I thought it went really well," said Senior Airman Alexis Mitchell, 349th ARS boom operator. "They all got what they asked for, but they weren't expecting to get these gifts. It was really cool and they all looked happy."

BBBS works with a different flying squadron each quarter to bring children on base for a tour. For more information on this program, visit http://www.kansasbigs.org.