USAFE/CC revisits Manas, impressed with improvements

Published July 10, 2006
By Capt. Anna Carpenter
376th AEW Public Affairs

MANAS AIR BASE, Kyrgyzstan -- Gen. Tom Hobbins, U.S. Air Forces in Europe commander and Allied Air Component Command, Ramstein commander visited an improved base on his stop here July 5.
The general, who is also the director of the Joint Air Power Competency Center at Ramstein Air Base, Germany, last visited in February and was impressed by all the renovations made since then.
"It's great to be back here," he said. "There are a lot of great new things, largely in part to the efforts of your leadership." From high in the air in the 376th Expeditionary Civil Engineering Squadron's cherry picker, he saw the extent of recent renovations, including extended sidewalks, the first of three clam-shell tents for the transients and the nearly-completed passenger terminal and cold storage facility.
His visit here highlighted the critical importance of the 376th Air Expeditionary Wing's mission as the primary refuelers and the hub for all cargo and people going to Afghanistan. He toured different work centers to meet and thank the Airmen who every month off-load nine million pounds of fuel and transport 4,000 tons of cargo and 13,500 people in support of Operation Enduring Freedom.
Several of the 376 AEW's Airmen, which he said are part of a true "fight for freedom," come from the five major USAFE bases.
"USAFE's number one operational priority is to provide expeditionary ready forces to the combatant commanders, and we are doing that," he said.
He also pointed out the difference the Airmen and Coalition partners here are making in his next stop, Afghanistan. He is headed there to meet with troops and International Security Assistance Force leaders.
"Democracy and reconstruction are advancing because the Afghan people, the central government, the Coalition and the international community have resolved to work together. We are united in our determination to defeat the forces of chaos and bring peace, stability and a better life to the Afghan people."
General Hobbins brought Command Chief Master Sgt. Gary Coleman and command Chaplain (Col.) Carl Andrews. As they met and took photos with Airmen in the Ala-Too Dining Facility, the 376th Expeditionary Maintenance Squadron's "tanker dome" and the Operations town's dining facility, the leaders informed the Airmen their pictures would be on the USAFE "Power of Presence" website.
According to the USAFE website, "The Power of Presence Web site (at http://www.usafe.af.mil/pop) recognizes Airmen for milestones in their careers and ensures the world sees the amazing way they serve every day. The Web site encourages leadership to post photos of Airmen receiving unit-level awards, step promotions, completion of training, deployments, leadership visits, and other events; and to share those images with the Airman's family and friends."
While General Hobbins' visit recognized the hard work of Manas' Airmen, he also reminded them of just who and why they're fighting.
"While terrorists do not employ big armies, big navies or big air forces, they are, nonetheless, successors to the ideologies of the past century - just as we are the heirs to the great generations who preserved our freedom."