airdrop

That meant finding ways to deliver 6 million meals, 2 million gallons of fuel and a million cases of bottled water to hundreds of bases and outposts — some reachable only by airdrop — each month.

Search-and-rescue efforts continue, and aid deliveries have been made by airdrops and mules.

The photographer, meanwhile, was only able to airdrop pictures, says Nita.

The airdrop is one of several events organised to mark the anniversary of Operation Market Garden, an ambitious military offensive designed to speed up the invasion of Nazi Germany and shorten the war in Europe.

The May 19 airdrops at Second Thomas Shoal by the Philippine military sparked a race by the Chinese coast guard and Philippine navy personnel aboard small motorboats to retrieve the four packages.