One C-17 and two C-130s flew through the night Aug. 8 to unload the first of several drops of food and water on Mount Sinjar in Iraq, where starving and dehydrated refugees were stranded by threat of death at the hands of Islamic State militants if they descended.
It was the first humanitarian airdrop over Iraq since the war ended in 2011. And for the crews, the importance of the mission didn't fully set in until after landing.
"It was quite an eye-opener to see the results of the drop on CNN when we got back, and even more so to hear none other than the president of the United States on TV the next day talking about our mission to the press and the American people," Maj. Stephen Holt, C-130 pilot with the 737th Expeditionary Airlift Squadron, told Air Force Times.