'The sparkle in the kids' eyes, that makes it worth it.' Marines on snowmobiles helped Santa this month while delivering toys to 2,500 children in 11 villages in Alaska's Arctic.
In a photo provided by the U.S. Marine Corps, U.S. Marine Corps Staff Sgt. Federico Gomez, dressed as Santa Claus, hands a gift to a student in Shungnak, Alaska, Dec. 8, 2021. Marines on snowmobiles delivered toys to boys and girls in Alaska's Arctic.
JUNEAU, Alaska — Marines on snowmobiles helped Santa this month while delivering toys to boys and girls in Alaska’s Arctic. Marines flew to Kotzebue, which is 549 miles northwest of Anchorage and 26 miles above the Arctic Circle, on a KC-130 operated by the Marine Aerial Refueler Transport Squadron 152 based in Okinawa, Japan.
From there, they rode commercial flights and snowmobiles to get toys to 2,500 children in 11 villages,Cpl. Brendan Mullin, who took pictures of the event, could hear children gasp when a Marine Santa entered a pre-kindergarten classroom.Their joyful job was part of the Toys for Tots program run by the Marine Corps and a nonprofit foundation. Started in 1947, the program now delivers 18 million toys to 7 million less fortunate children each year.“It’s really just to benefit kids.
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