Netflix's Operation Christmas Drop: Real life story behind new festive film Netflix's latest holiday offering, Operation Christmas Drop, is more than just a charming festive rom-com.
The film gives viewers a glimpse into the process: Service personnel at Andersen Air Force Base and Yokota Air Base package donations from local businesses and residents in Guam, ranging from bags of rice to toys.
The humanitarian mission, which shares its name with the Netflix flick, kicked off in 1952 and holds the record for being the longest-running U. S. Department of Defense mission still in operation, as well as the world's longest-running humanitarian airlift.
While some aspects of the movie are pure fiction - like the congressional aide tasked with shutting down underperforming Air Force bases - the heart of the story is very much grounded in reality.
After attaching parachutes to containers filled with up to 400 pounds of supplies, they fly over more than 50 remote islands in Micronesia, delivering a variety of supplies to approximately 20,000 inhabitants.