Maj. Jill Metzger United States Air Force | |
|---|---|
 Air Force Major Jill Metzger | |
| Born | 1973 (age 50–51) |
| Allegiance |  United States of America |
| Service |  United States Air Force |
| Rank |  Major |
| Unit | 376th Air Expeditionary Wing |
| Battles / wars | Operation Enduring Freedom |
Major Jill Metzger is a United States Air Force personnel officer who gained worldwide attention as the result of a three-day disappearance in Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan.
She was the women's winner of the United States Air Force Marathon in both 2003 and 2004 [1] and placed 10th in the women's division of the Marine Corps Marathon in 2005. [2] Despite being temporarily retired for medical reasons she came in 2nd place at the 2008 United States Air Force Marathon [3]
She has been married to USAF captain Joshua Mayo since the spring of 2006. [4]
In September 2006, Metzger was serving with the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing stationed at Manas Air Base, a U.S. military facility that has been located at Manas International Airport, Kyrgyzstan, since 2001, supporting Operation Enduring Freedom's operations in Afghanistan. On September 5, shortly before she was scheduled to return to the United States, she went shopping at the ZUM department store in Bishkek to buy souvenirs for her family. She failed to return to the base as expected and on September 7, The Pentagon reported her as missing (officially, "duty status whereabouts unknown"). [5] She was found three days later in the nearby city of Kant, reporting that she had been abducted from the store, taken via minibus, and escaped from the kidnappers after hitting one of them and fleeing. [6]
The Air Force Office of Special Investigations and other agencies conducted a major investigation, [7] [8] [9] and February 3, 2012, Air Force investigators closed the case, concluding that the evidence was consistent with Metzger's account of being kidnapped. [9] The investigation debunked online smears claiming that Metzger had voluntarily gone AWOL. [9] Shopping center surveillance video showed at least two unidentified persons surveilled Metzger, with one of them following her, and that criminals may have intended to kidnap a different individual who resembled Metzger. [9] The investigation found that Metzger escaped after sharpening a stick into a shank, stabbing one of the captors and locking him in a room, and fleeing to a nearby home, whose residents were able to contact the police. [9] The Federal Bureau of Investigation also completed an investigation into Metzger's disappearance in 2009, but did not make the results public. [10]
In July 2007, the Air Force Personnel Evaluation Board approved the placement of Metzger (then a member of the 23rd Wing at Moody Air Force Base) on the Temporary Disability Retirement List after she was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder by physicians at Randolph Air Force Base, Texas. [11] [12] [13] [14]
On October 12, 2010, Metzger returned to active duty as the chief of community programs for the Air Force District of Washington at Andrews Air Force Base, Maryland. [10]
Bishkek, formerly known as Frunze, and earlier Pishpek, is the capital and largest city of Kyrgyzstan. Bishkek is also the administrative centre of the Chüy Region. Bishkek is situated near the border with Kazakhstan and has a population of 1,074,075, as of 2021.
Transport in Kyrgyzstan is severely constrained by the country's alpine topography. Roads have to snake up steep valleys, cross passes of 3,000 m (9,843 ft) altitude and more, and are subject to frequent mud slides and snow avalanches. Winter travel is close to impossible in many of the more remote and high-altitude regions. Additional problems are because many roads and railway lines built during the Soviet period are today intersected by international boundaries, requiring time-consuming border formalities to cross where they are not completely closed. The horse is still a much used transport option, especially in rural and inaccessible areas, as it does not depend on imported fuel.
The Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic is the national military of Kyrgyzstan. It was originally formed from the former Soviet forces of the Turkestan Military District stationed in newly independent Kyrgyzstan. It consists of the Ground Forces, the Air Force and the National Guard. Affiliated security forces to the armed forces included the Internal Troops, the State Committee for National Security and the Border Troops.
Kyrgyzstan, officially the Kyrgyz Republic, is a landlocked country in Central Asia, lying in the Tian Shan and Pamir mountain ranges. Bishkek is the capital and largest city. Kyrgyzstan is bordered by Kazakhstan to the north, Uzbekistan to the west, Tajikistan to the south, and China to the east and southeast. Ethnic Kyrgyz make up the majority of the country's over 7 million people, followed by significant minorities of Uzbeks and Russians.
JSC National Air Carrier "Kyrgyzstan Airlines" was the national airline of Kyrgyzstan, with its head office on the grounds of Manas International Airport in Bishkek. It operated scheduled international and domestic services, as well as charter flights. Its main base was Manas International Airport, with a hub at Osh Airport.
Kyrgyzstan Air Company, operating as Air Kyrgyzstan, was the flag carrier of Kyrgyzstan, based in Bishkek. It operated scheduled domestic and international services to 13 destinations, as well as charter services. Its main hub was Manas International Airport in Bishkek, with a hub at Osh Airport in Osh.
Transit Center at Manas is a former U.S. military installation at Manas International Airport, near Bishkek, the capital of Kyrgyzstan. It was primarily operated by the U.S. Air Force. The primary unit at the base was the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing. On 3 June 2014 American troops vacated the base and it was handed over back to the Kyrgyzstan military.
Awards and decorations of the United States Department of the Air Force are military decorations which are issued by the Department of the Air Force to airmen of the United States Air Force and guardians of the United States Space Force and members of other military branches serving under Air Force and Space Force commands.
Manas International Airport is the main international airport in Kyrgyzstan, located 25 kilometres (16 mi) north-northwest of the capital, Bishkek.
Colonel Joseph L. Romano III is an officer in the United States Air Force and one of 26 American nationals charged by Italian authorities with the 2003 kidnapping of Italian resident cleric Hassan Nasr as part of an alleged covert CIA operation. Romano was subsequently convicted in absentia of kidnapping. On 5 April 2013, Giorgio Napolitano, the President of the Italian Republic, pardoned Romano.
Esen Air was an airline based in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan. It started operations on 10 October 2006 and operated domestic and international charter services. The main base was at Manas International Airport, Bishkek.
DUSTWUN is a transitory casualty status assigned to United States service members who are believed to be involuntarily absent but cannot be located and have not been confirmed dead or captured. Individuals are given the status following the first sign that their absence is involuntary, typically remaining in the status no more than ten days, during which time personnel recovery and fact finding efforts occur which will inform a redesignation.
On 29 August 2007, six AGM-129 ACM cruise missiles, each loaded with a W80-1 variable yield nuclear warhead, were mistakenly loaded onto a United States Air Force (USAF) B-52H heavy bomber at Minot Air Force Base in North Dakota and transported to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana. The nuclear warheads in the missiles were supposed to have been removed before the missiles were taken from their storage bunker. The missiles with the nuclear warheads were not reported missing and remained mounted to the aircraft at both Minot and Barksdale for 36 hours. During this period, the warheads were not protected by the various mandatory security precautions for nuclear weapons.
Kyrgyzstan – United States relations are bilateral relations between Kyrgyzstan and the United States.
On 21 July 2008, a United States Air Force (USAF) B-52H Stratofortress operating out of Andersen Air Force Base, crashed into the Pacific Ocean during a training flight approximately 30 nautical miles (56 km) northwest of Apra Harbor, Guam. The training flight was to include participation in a local municipal celebration of Liberation Day in Hagåtña. All six crew members aboard the aircraft were killed and the aircraft was destroyed.
Air Bishkek was an airline based in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, with its operational base at Manas International Airport. It was founded as Eastok Avia (E4/EAA) in 2006 and renamed to Kyrgyz Airways. In 2011 the airline was again rebranded into Air Bishkek. Due to alleged poor safety standards in Kyrgyzstan, the airline has been included in the List of air carriers banned in the European Union since 12 October 2006. The airline stopped operating in February 2016 after experiencing financial difficulties. As of June 2016, its Air Operator Certificate has been suspended.
Air Manas was a low-cost airline headquartered in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan with its base at Manas International Airport.
The following is a timeline of the history of the city of Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan.
The Kyrgyz Air Force is the official air force of the Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic. Its current commander is Colonel Kylychbek Aidaraliev. The official holiday of the air forces is Aviation Day on August 18.
The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Kyrgyz Republic is the military staff of the Armed Forces of the Kyrgyz Republic.