The long-awaited miracle has happened: our gift has reached the person we admire and radioamateur Mr. Bruce Best! But first, we saw the movie…
“Operation Christmas Drop” (more here: https://reu.wiki/o) is the first film that clearly proves the power behind the short wave. Ham radio is not only a way of interesting leisure. Radio communication is often or sometimes the only way to connect with distant lands or during natural disasters. And Bruce Best perfectly demonstrated this by starring as himself and capturing our hearts forever.
A film about a real-life charity mission for the US Air Force: the longest action of its kind lasts more than 70 years, and Bruce Best provides communication in 39 of them.
Every year on Christmas Eve, the inhabitants of the 68 islands of Micronesia, stretching over approximately 2 million square nautical miles in the Pacific Ocean, receive gifts from the sky with the essential things: medicine, food, fishing equipment, schoolbooks, clothes, and much more.
The year before, Bruce Best asks the islands about their needs on the radio. They also depend on natural disasters specific to the area.
Then he coordinates cargo drop points with aircrew and islanders.
As he admits, it is essential to deliver the cargo to an accessible place and safely, as well as to complete the mission without injury.
All this, plus the delivery time and plenty of little things, he controls continuously in real-time when the hottest time comes – airdrop.
But that is not all. From helping find funds for refueling aircraft to attracting businesses and other organizations ready to support islanders – Bruce Best is involved in everything that benefits people.
He received his master’s degree from the University of Guam in 1981 and remains in its penates until now. Today, he is a station manager for the Telecommunication and Distance Education Operation (TADEO) at the Center for Continuing Education Outreach Programs. He was one of the program’s founders and oversaw it throughout its operation.
About a generation ago, helping a technician with early electric vehicle and solar/wind energy projects at WERI (the UOG research unit), he stumbled upon a new satellite network facility starting up at UOG, an educational network called PEACESAT.
The educational network has a strong reputation as a channel for lifesaving and humanitarian aid in the islands now. Finding a lost boat, delivering medicine that will save someone’s life on a remote island, or helping to evacuate an entire village threatened by a typhoon or tsunami are some of their weekdays.
In the rare interviews, he admits he is happy because he ”works his hobby.” He enjoys every day because he feels that he makes a positive difference in the lives of thousands of Pacific islanders living in the world’s most remote area.
We learned about all this bit by bit from everywhere after we watched a movie with our wonderful hobby colleague, where he starred in the role of himself. We immediately fired up with the desire to urgently express our deep respect for him. And we decided to wish him a Merry Christmas.
Thus began our own “Operation Christmas Drop.” A “long day” that stretched out for months and resolved happily. We are deeply grateful to the University of Guam and the Chief Marketing and Communications Officer Jonas Macapinlac, personally, for the active support, thanks to which this “Christmas Carol” became real.
We realized that the Christmas miracle happens when solid and good intention leads us. Then we can handle anything, and we will find those ready to help us.
We believed in the Christmas miracle. And you?