(56K!) Pictures from my deployment to Kyrgyzstan

[XCELR8]

I was gone for the last 5 months on a deployment to Manas AB, Kyrgyzstan. It was a very humbling experience. When we arrived in country, it was -15ºF, when we left it was 110ºF. We were pretty safe from the enemy here, but our main concern for security was organized crime and terrorism, especially considering we were only a few hundred miles away from Afghanistan and protests from the locals were a every day thing. The flight line is actually Bishkek International Airport, but the USAF pays a sum of money to operate missions out of it. During WWII, this was actually an old Soviet bomber base. Here are some pictures I took of the small camp at which I was at. Enjoy :coolman:

This is “Pete’s Place”, the main moral tent.

 

[XCELR8]

 

[XCELR8]

This is the inside of the hospital. I had a minor surgery on my back the first week I was here. It was weird having a procedure done on your back inside of a tent!

These three jets never moved the entire time I was there.

 

[XCELR8]

 

[XCELR8]

 

[XCELR8]

These were little shops that were set up just outside the Airport.

The coolest thing on base was the old aircraft bone yard.

 

[XCELR8]

Not going inside would have been a crime.

These are the huge fuel bladders that store the fuel for the base. Each bladder holds 200,000 gallons of TS1 jet fuel, a Kyrgyzstani form of JP8.

 

[XCELR8]

Their idea of construction is scary. What the would call mortar, we’d call wet dirt.

A Kyrgyzstani airport guard.

 

[XCELR8]

 

[XCELR8]

 

[XCELR8]

This is a “Yurta”. It’s basically a teepee that people still live in to this day.

Wild horses

The craziest part of the deployment was that Marijuana grew completely wild. It was all over the place!

 

[XCELR8]

A Kyrgyz fuel tank truck.

This is an Antonov 124, it’s a few feet larger then the US’s C005 Galaxy, but not as practical.

My friend Ivan and I. He was an over hire in my flight.

This was our DFAC (cafeteria)

This is my favorite picture.

 

[deannyc]

cool pics. Looks cold.

 

[CaDDy]

Wow.... nice pics. I'm surprised you even got some locals in those pics. Stay safe out there man... err at least until your next deployment.

 

[play2324]

Wow. Nice pics man. Cool to see different parts of the world....even if it is from my desk.

 

[johndoe000]

Coool

 

[The_Truth]

All i can say is WOW, very nice pics man.

Thank you.

 

[IShb3w]

damn those are some good pics, thanks for sharing. looks like a really cool place. what surgery did you have to have?

 

[ChipR4cam]

Wow, that's a cool place to look at, but I sure wouldn't want to live there for long.

 

[onebad50]

Some very nice pictures. I like the pictures of the old planes.