CHARLESTON AIR FORCE BASE, S.C. (USTCNS) --- The 437th Aerial Port Squadron here loaded medical supplies and computers onto a C-17 from Altus Air Force Base, Okla., bound for La Paz, Bolivia, April 14.
The supplies were shipped on the Altus training mission as part of the Denton Program, which allows for the Department of Defense to transport approved, privately donated humanitarian cargo worldwide on a space available basis.
Donor applications are processed through U.S. Aid and eventually get a transportation control number that allows movement on DOD transports, said Mike McAvoy, Denton Program operations manager. A list of the available cargo and delivery sites is sent out to requesting units every week on an overseas and continental United States log, McAvoy explained.
"We schedule cargo to be delivered to and palletized at the nearest air base," said McAvoy. "All donations must be from non-governmental, non-profit organizations or individuals."
"We act as a channel hub for Central and South America," added Ken Hundemer, Denton Program operations officer here. "Since October, we've shipped 874,052 pounds of humanitarian cargo."
Cargo shipped through the Denton Program can't be time sensitive and should not be confused with disaster relief. It is mainly used for on going relief and development efforts.
"There's no requirement for bases to take these missions, and there's no pressure," said Hundemer. "Units pick them up to maximize their training time and do something good for someone else in the process."
"With this mission, Altus contacted us and asked to make the trip to complete some of their training requirements," said McAvoy. "It was a two-part mission. They flew one load April 13, and then sent a different crew to fly another load the next day."
McAvoy said missions, like the recent Altus one, offer more than training to participating units. "These are some of the few missions that a crew can fulfill training requirements and fly away with a feeling of doing something good for someone less fortunate." (FROM AIR MOBILITY COMMAND PUBLIC AFFAIRS).
