For the first time in history, a C-17 Globemaster III assigned to McChord Field successfully completed a mid-winter nighttime airdrop at the South Pole.

Airmen from the 62nd and 446th Airlift Wings teamed up to airdrop urgently needed medical supplies Sept. 1 at the Amundsen-Scott South Pole Station in Antarctica.

The supplies will augment a South Pole medical team's treatment of an ailing civilian wintering there with the U.S. Antarctic Program.

"The mission went exceedingly well," said Lt. Col. Robert Wellington, 62nd AW Operations Group deputy commander. "This was basically a culmination of all the training we've completed over the past several years."

After being notified of the mission, Wellington established the Team McChord resources.

"Of course, my immediate feeling toward this mission was excitement," he explained. "We needed to find out the exact requirements for the mission to see if we would fulfill them. The most work came during the coordination stages."

Wellington assigned Maj. Rick Kind, C-17 weapons and tactics instructor pilot, to plan the mission with his crew.

"After we got the phone call," said Chief Master Sgt. Dave Masura, "we spent three days planning it. This is the first time we did a drop out of the door (rather than out the back) over Antarctica."

Masura, a Reservist with the 446th Airlift Wing, was one of four loadmasters on the mission.

Wellington, Kind and the Joint Task Force-Support Forces Antarctica team worked closely with the National Science Foundation planners to execute the mission. Kind's prior experience benefited the mission.

"We usually do a South Pole airdrop mission during the summer months when conditions are ideal," said Wellington. "With all the training, we were more than prepared. Two years ago, Kind was on that flight. When this mission came around, he was already trained, certified and experienced in South Pole air-drop."

In addition to Kind, other experienced personnel were hand-picked to support the mission.

"We took the best of the best down there," said Staff Sgt. Kent Koerner, 4th Airlift Squadron loadmaster. "Everyone really came together and operated as a team. We were working off of a good plan, and executed it as well as we could."

Other Reservists on the crew were Lt. Col. Rob Sawyer, a pilot, and loadmasters Masura, Senior Master Sgt. Terry Wolford and Master Sgt. Kathleen Disney.

The plan included a parachute-enabled C-17 air-drop of medical supplies in bitter cold and complete darkness using night-vision devices. Although JTF-SFA plans for such missions and trains for this requirement during the summer season, this is the first time a C-17 has attempted a mid-winter, nighttime airdrop at the South Pole, according to officials.

Since the South Pole has 24 hours of darkness during the polar winter, the use of night-vision goggles was essential for the mission, officials said.

"The routine use of night vision goggles is being exploited to overcome the operational challenges in Antarctica," said Wellington. "The plan we developed mirrored all of our previous training flights, except for those obstacles. And when we met those obstacles, we find solutions to work with them."

According to Kevin Schriner, an NSF contractor and network administrator at the South Pole, the air drop was a complete success. Both packages were dropped and recovered without damage. (Sandra Pishner, 446th AW Public Affairs, contributed to this report)