Manas Airmen provide aid to earthquake victims

  • Published
  • By Maj. Damien Pickart
  • 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan (AFNS) --  Airmen from Manas AB sent a humanitarian shipment Oct. 8 to provide aid to those affected by the recent earthquake in southern Kyrgyzstan.

The base sent a flatbed truck of supplies that included a pallet of nearly 2,200 food ration packets, ten pallets of bottled water, more than 120 boxes containing 3,000 pounds of adult and children's winter clothing, blankets and toys, and a pallet of military winter equipment including jackets, pants, wet weather coats, sleeping bags and stocking caps.

"Our hearts go out to the Kyrgyz people affected by the earthquake," said Col. Christopher Bence, 376th Air Expeditionary Wing commander. "The coalition personnel here at Manas are always happy to extend a hand to help our Kyrgyz neighbors whenever the need exists. We even put out a call Tuesday afternoon to donate personal items and the response was incredible -- nearly 40 Airmen gave their own personal blankets they brought here when they deployed."

The 3,000 pounds of winter clothing consists of donations the base has received for its Manas Air Base Outreach Society during the past few months from generous Americans. MABOS members voted unanimously the afternoon of Oct. 7 to give most of their stockpiled donations in support of the earthquake relief. The organization consists of volunteer Airmen who provide community outreach support in their off duty time by visiting, renovating and making improvements at local schools, hospitals, orphanages and community centers. During the past seven years, MABOS and the wing's village partnership program, now known as the Manas Service Organization, have provided hundreds of thousands of hours of volunteer time and more than $100,000 in supplies and monetary donations to help improve the lives of their Kyrgyz neighbors.

Manas AB is the primary air mobility hub supporting ongoing operations in Afghanistan. Its KC-135 Stratotanker fleet provides refueling support to coalition aircraft and the wing also serves as the transit point for all cargo and personnel going to and from Afghanistan.

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