An official website of the United States government
A .mil website belongs to an official U.S. Department of Defense organization in the United States.
A lock (lock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .mil website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

CE HA efforts bring relief all over Kyrgyzstan

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Carolyn Viss
  • 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan --  All the way from TokMok to Belovodosky, civil engineer Airmen from the Transit Center at Manas are making a difference in Kyrgyzstan.

With more than 40 humanitarian assistance projects completed at more than 18 locations and 60 more projects in the works across the northern part of the nation, this team is going above and beyond their everyday jobs on the installation and reaching out to Kyrgyz people in need.

"We do everything - from roofs to plumbing, flooring, electrical, lighting, generators, and (other renovations," said Master Sgt Freddy Andrews, 376th Expeditionary Civil Engineer Squadron quality assurance flight chief.

His six specialists from different Air Force Specialty Codes work with structures, utilities, electrical, heating/ventilation/air conditioning, pavements and generators.

Ordinarily, they are quality assurance evaluators for civil engineer contracts here, for everything CE normally does.

"We inspect each shop to make sure they are doing things the way we expect them to be done and that our customers are getting the service we expect, because we demand quite a bit," Sergeant Andrews said. "We're over everything you see on the Transit Center - utilities, generators, electrical, HVAC... refuse, grounds maintenance - If it's moving on this Transit Center, we've got our hands on it."

But they also work a lot humanitarian assistance projects.

"We have the engineer background to ensure they get quality craftsmanship up to specifications," he said. "We're not just getting it done - we're taking it to another level and literally touching every school and orphanage within 50 miles, making differences that will last for generations."

That kind of dedication to an on-duty job and an off-duty outreach requires organizing, setting priorities, working long hours, but it's worth it for the CE team here. The difference they make and the thankfulness they see written over peoples' faces makes it all worthwhile.

The other day, Sergeant Andrews said he was taking with the principal of Minroye-Niz school, for whom they just replaced a roof.

"He almost cried in thankfulness," Sergeant Andrews said. "You'd just have to shake the hand of a mayor or principal who has that thankfulness for something you did."

The motivation comes from seeing the difference they make with the skills they have.

"You get hooked," he said.

"It humbles you," said Senior Airman Alan Ruppe, an operations support quality assurance specialist. "The everyday things we have, we take for granted."

He's only been enlisted for three and a half years, but as a power production specialist he is able to not only assist the team with the projects they all work on but also help purchase generators for local villages and schools who need them.

May 13, 2010, his team went to a local market with the Mayor of Manas Village and purchased a generator for the village. Next week, they will go back and purchase another - enough power to meet the village requirements.

He makes sure they get the right size generator by evaluating the recipient's needs to determine how much power it will require. He does all this additional humanitarian work because, to him, it's just right.

"I think as a (Transit Center), with all the resources we have, we should assist the people of this country," he said. "Doing HA missions helps fulfill that role."