Manas Air Base hosts Kyrgyz president

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Candy Knight
  • 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan (AFPN) --  The 376th Air Expeditionary Wing and the U.S. Embassy here hosted a remembrance ceremony and a presidential visit Sept. 11. 

Kurmanbek Bakiev, the president of Kyrgyzstan, was the key speaker on his first visit to the base. 

During the ceremony, a coalition color guard of Spanish, French, Kyrgyz and American troops presented the colors. They also presented a wreath from the president, who placed it on the Peter J. Ganci memorial. 

The wing commander, ambassador and president spoke to the crowd of about 300 coalition troops and top Kyrgyz governmental and local leadership. 

"This spot where we stand today was probably very quiet and unassuming this time five years ago," said Col. Joel Reese, 376th AEW commander. "There were no tents, no defensive barriers, no gravel beneath our feet. But, thousands of miles away in New York City, Washington, D.C., and Pennsylvania it was far from quiet." 

Colonel Reese also said that it was not just America who was attacked that day, but the entire world. 

"The fight against evil is a global fight, requiring people from freedom loving nations to join together," he said. "Today we honor and recognize the nations we work with every day to win this war." 

Marie Yovanovitch, U.S. Ambassador to the Kyrgyz Republic, said she remembers being in Ukraine on Sept. 11, 2001, and the outpouring of sympathy and grief shown by the people. 

"By the time I got back to the embassy (in Ukraine), the sidewalk in front was covered with flowers and notes," she said. "I knew then that America was not alone."
 
She also said that terrorism has no boundaries and the evils of terrorism must be fought by all who believe in freedom and liberty. 

President Bakiev, spoke of his personal experiences after Sept. 11, 2001, and Kyrgyzstan's involvement with the war on terrorism. 

"I visited America two months after Sept. 11, when I was the prime minister," he said. "I'll never forget going to Ground Zero in New York and witnessing the destruction the attacks caused. Everywhere I went, every building I saw had an American flag flying on it." 

The president said that during his visit, he was impressed by the solidarity and unity shown by the American people. It was shortly after that, he said, that Kyrgyzstan made an agreement with the United States to host coalition troops at what is now Manas Air Base. 

After the ceremony, the president toured the base and facilities, including the fitness center and the medical clinic. 

"I am impressed by the way you have made use of the limited space that you have," he said. "The troops have everything they need."