MORNING NEWSBREAK | Crews from Joint Base Charleston returned from the Middle East April 1 after dropping thousands of meals and bottles of water to millions of people in Gaza who are displaced and at risk of “catastrophic hunger,” pilots said in an April 26 report.
Members of the 437th Airlift Wing from Joint Base Charleston helped to support mission planning and coordination to provide humanitarian airdrops with C-17 airplanes. A crew of 36 Joint Base Charleston Air Force personnel joined the effort March 29 alongside C-130 variants deployed to U.S. Air Forces Central to deliver humanitarian aid into Gaza.
The Charleston crews were recruited for Gaza with less than one day’s notice before boarding a 24-hour flight to a war zone, pilots told reporters. One of the pilots on the crew said he was in Washington, D.C. before being retasked to the Gaza mission.
“It was like nothing I’ve ever seen and can’t forget,” Air Force Capt. Benjamin See told media outlets at Joint Base Charleston. “It was a shock-and-awe moment for me to see how great the need was. I could see that from the cockpit.”
See described seeing masses of people that “looked like a fallen cloud” moving from the rubble of southern Gaza to the Mediterranean Sea. Food crates were parachuted down from the supply planes to the crowds waiting below, and pilots described watching the masses of people moving toward the drop zone with “visible anguish,” even from their sky-high view.
Americans and Jordanians dropped at least 950,000 meals and 144,000 bottles of water into Gaza, according to U.S. Air Forces Central Command.
In City Paper news today:
CP FOCUS: Dominion’s tree cutting draws ire from Charleston residents. Dominion Energy contracts arborists every five years to cut tree branches to keep power lines clear, ensuring the lines are not damaged during storms, but some residents are very unhappy with the results.
CP CARTOON:
CP NEWS: Allen to advise Guardian newspaper on Gullah Geechee culture. Michael Allen, a local Gullah Geechee community advocate, has been named to an advisory panel of the London-based Guardian newspaper to help the publication report on communities affected by the trans-Atlantic slave trade.
CP NEWS: Why North Charleston’s police chief is retiring. The City Paper sat down with Gomes to discuss how he ended up in the chair he’s in now, how the last year as chief has panned out and what his hopes are for the future of the department he’s been with his whole career.
CP NEWS: Celebrate independent bookstore day in Charleston. Three Charleston bookstores will participate in this year’s Independent Bookstore Day, which takes place at indie bookstores across the nation on the last Saturday in April, an effort to bring together readers and authors to celebrate and uplift independent bookstores.
In other area headlines:
Republican candidates in Charleston Co. sheriff race participate in debate. Rocky Burke, Rick Keys, Greg Kitchens, and Carl Ritchie presented their vision for the job to community members at The Schoolhouse in West Ashley, each hoping to take the position currently held by Democratic Sheriff Kristin Graziano in November’s election.
Lost lineage come to life with new technology at IAAM. The Center for Family History at the International African American Museum launched its new Genealogy Research Area and Reference Library to help families discover their lost lineages.
Navy yard complex generates nearly $1B in Charleston Co. The Charleston Marine Manufacturing Corp. Navy Yard Industrial Campus unveiled its first comprehensive economic impact study, revealing a contribution of approximately $960.1 million annually to the Charleston County economy.
High Water Festival faces criticism after weekend event. The High Water Festival is receiving some negative feedback after attendees experienced hourslong exit issues, a lack of liquor in the Platinum Lounge and even property thefts during last weekend’s event.
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