The Denton Amendment allowed military aircraft flying to foreign countries to transport privately donated humanitarian cargo on a space-available basis at no charge to the donors or recipients. In November 1993, private relief agencies seeking to deliver medical supplies and fire trucks from the United States to Guatemala obtained permission for a humanitarian airlift from the Defense Department’s Office of Humanitarian and Refugee Affairs.
A 68th Airlift Squadron aircrew of the 433d Airlift Wing at Kelly AFB, Texas, performed the mission, flying a C–5 Galaxy aircraft to La Aurora, Guatemala. The airplane carried medical supplies for a new surgical facility at Chocola and two fire trucks for a local fire department.