Santa, Mrs. Claus and thirty-five helpers brought Operation Santa Claus and holiday cheer to the small, remote Alaska village of Wales on 9 December 2011. A C-130H crew from the 144th Airlift Squadron, the Alaska Air National Guard unit at Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage landed on the village's airstrip and was warmly greeted by community members on snowmobiles. Operation Santa Claus volunteers and community members quickly off loaded boxes from the aircraft and onto sleds for the one-mile ride to the community school in Wales.. After a community dinner, each child got to visit with Santa and receive a gift. They were also given a new backpack filled with fresh fruit, books, a toothbrush, and other incidentals.
