Graham Manning, 5, looks out the KC-135 Stratotanker boom window during a U.S. Embassy Family Day tour of the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, Aug. 20, 2011. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Tammie Moore)
Reika Kovacsics, 10, and Bijou Gohoure, 5, try on military gear and flak vests during a U.S. Embassy Family Day tour of the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, Aug. 20, 2011. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Tammie Moore)
Staff Sgt. Paul Pest helps Alexandria Pacheco, 11, try on a bomb-suit helmet during a U.S. Embassy Family Day tour of the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, Aug. 20, 2011. Pest is a 376th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron explosive ordnance disposal technician. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Tammie Moore)
Esabella Pacheco, 7, drops a can from the arm of an Andros F-6A explosive ordnance disposal robot as other children watch during a U.S. Embassy Family Day tour of the Transit Center at Manas, Kyrgyzstan, Aug. 20, 2011. (U.S. Air Force photo/Tech. Sgt. Tammie Moore)
by Tech. Sgt. Tammie Moore
376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
8/26/2011 - TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan (AFNS) -- New U.S. Embassy employees and their families traveled from Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, to tour the Transit Center Aug. 20 to learn more about the installation's missions and capabilities.
More than a dozen children excitedly took turns lying in a KC-135 Stratotanker boom, sitting in a C-17 Globemaster III cockpit, learning how to sound a fire truck horn, operating an explosive ordnance disposal robot and trying on combat gear.
"Bringing in new personnel from the various agencies and departments at the embassy gives us a unique chance to enhance our mutually supportive relationship with a hands-on tour that underscores the four pillars of the Transit Center mission," said Capt. Michael Povilus, the Theater Security Cooperation Social Cultural Branch chief.
The four pillars of the Transit Center mission are aerial refueling, airlift, onward movement of troops and strengthening the partnership with Kyrgyzstan.
The day's events not only provided an opportunity for embassy representatives to learn about the installation, but also featured numerous opportunities for their children to interact with Transit Center personnel and try out their equipment.
"We're always sure to include family members in events like this because their support and understanding is crucial, and hopefully, such a fun and exciting day created many lasting memories for all the families who participated," Povilus said. "We truly consider everyone working at the embassy, including their loved ones, as part of our Transit Center family."
The families toured a C-17 and KC-135, watched a military working dog demonstration, tried on night-vision goggles and learned about the gear with which deploying service members are fitted prior to traveling downrange.
"For me, the best part of the day was watching the kids smile and seeing their eyes light up throughout the many activities," Povilus said. "They're our future, and based on all of these kids, our future is bright. Of course, they also reminded me of my own children back in Georgia and why we're here working thousands of miles away from home."
The children's excitement was evident in their attentiveness at each stop on the tour and in their questions.
"Why are there so many buttons in the airplane?" asked a child after spending some time in a C-17 cockpit.
"Can the planes move people and equipment at the same time?" asked another.
"Are they real live dogs?" asked a child on the way to the MWD demonstration.
"Can I keep all of this stuff?" asked a boy wearing a flak vest, helmet and gas mask.
"This has been a great time for my son to see the fire trucks and see the professionals who work here every day," Manning said. "He is a young kid, so he is impressionable, and seeing the professional work the Airmen do is fantastic. He had a blast!"
