Deployed Airmen move troops in, out of theater

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Kevin Nichols
  • U.S. Central Command Air Forces News Team
MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan (AFPN) --  When traveling throughout the area of responsibility, accountability is key. Ensuring that servicemembers get where they need to go safely is the responsibility of Airmen here.

As one of the main staging points for servicemembers traveling in and out of theater, It’s not unusual to see more than a hundred troops passing through at all hours of the night.

The Airmen here ensure each of these servicemembers, starting or finishing their deployment through their gates, make it to their destination safely. Most transient passengers are Soldiers, and around 10 a.m. each day, the sounds of roll call from each unit passing through echo through the base.

While roll call is the responsibility of the individual unit, Staff Sgt. Ailiyeh Boydon, 376th Personnel Support for Contingency Operations team, makes sure troops traveling through the base are accounted.

“If a Red Cross message comes through, we locate the person it is for, and make sure it gets delivered,” Sergeant Boydon said. “If their home base is trying to reach them; again, we locate them. Our responsibility is to know how to locate each and every troop on Manas AB.”

Sergeant Boydon also tries to be a friendly face during a time of possible anxiety for these troops.

“We’re the first ones they see when they land. We try to give them a warm welcome, and make them feel welcome while they’re here,” said Sergeant Boydon, who is deployed from the Air Force Personnel Center at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas.

“The rules can be different (at Manas) than downrange, which can make their stay here a little confusing. We try and make sure they have the right information and feel as comfortable as possible,” she said.

Security also plays a key role for anyone passing through Manas. Staff Sgt. Amy Greenslade, a military working dog handler with the 376th Expeditionary Security Forces Squadron here, along with her dog, Nero, carefully inspect every backpack, duffle bag and carry-on.

“(Dog handlers) make sure each trip (for transient troops) is a safe trip, making sure everybody on base stays safe, nothing gets brought into country that shouldn’t be here, and nothing leaves that shouldn’t leave,” said Sergeant Greenslade, who is deployed from the 28th Security Forces Squadron at Ellsworth AFB, S.D.

During the current rotation, Manas AB has moved more than 38,000 passengers, 10,000 short-tons of cargo and served more than 246,000 meals at the dining facility.