Posted on 09/06/2006 5:04:37 AM PDT by COBOL2Java
BISHKEK, September 6 (RIA Novosti) - A female American soldier from a U.S. military air base in Kyrgyzstan went missing Tuesday in the capital, Bishkek, a spokesman for the base said Wednesday.
The woman was last seen on Tuesday in a city mall after she left a group of fellow servicemen from the Manas Air Base while they were shopping.
Local police said they had no information about a lost American soldier.
"No one has yet notified law enforcement bodies about a lost U.S. citizen," said Sherkozi Mirzakarimov, the Central Asian's first deputy interior minister.
The U.S. has been renting an air base at Manas international airport in the south of the Kyrgyz capital since December 2001 as part of a U.S.-led anti-terrorist operation in Afghanistan. About 1,000 U.S. servicemen and several military transport aircraft are deployed there.
True. But I think she was a AF Major.
Same person, just promoted.
As of 9:00 tonight, there was still nothing on her.
My friend and her husband were asking for prayers. Send them up, please.
I'll look, but I think I may have a photo somewhere of him drunk, asleep in an ashtray in the lobby of a fourth rate hotel in Pigale. I'm sure the Kyrgyz Foreign Ministry would love that. Do you think I could extort anything for it? Unfortunately, Kyrgyzstan has no oil.
Prayers up!
USAFE member picks up back-to-back Air Force Marathon victories
Courtesy of United Air Forces in Europe News Service
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany (USAFENS) - A 26.2-mile battle in which mind fights the body and body fights the elements, is a battle that takes more than physical ability to overcome.
"Every marathon is a challenge, it's you against all the different parameters that are out there, and your own body is your biggest competitor," said Capt. Jill Metzger, Air Forces Europe executive officer. "It's also more than just a physical challenge as you have to overcome mental pain and mental boredom."
Inspired by her father and commander, she entered her first marathon in September, 1997, at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Dayton, Ohio. This was also the first ever United States Air Force Marathon.
"I was just happy to finish," said Metzger. She crossed with a time of 4 hours, 6 minutes in 1987. Sixteen marathons later, including eight Air Force marathons and four marathon victories, Metzger has run her way into the record books by being the first person to win the Air Force Marathon twice in row.
On Sept. 18, she finished with a time of 3 hours, 6 minutes, 6 seconds -- a 7-minute-mile pace. "After winning the first year it was much harder the second year. There was a lot more pressure on me as the defending champion. I was in the spotlight and setting the tone for the race because of the high expectations," said Metzger. However, she said this wasn't the motivation that pushed her to win. "I was on mile 24; my muscles started to hurt and I wasn't focused, then I began to think about all the people who came to me and told me I motivated them or impacted their life just by winning last year's race," she said. "I started to think about the people who I touched just by my physical accomplishments and the feeling knowing that I can impact someone else's life just by winning a marathon is what drove me to win. You can take away all the awards or trophies but don't take that away."
To accomplish a feat like this does not come without sacrifice. "I spend most of my free time and weekends 'pounding the pavement' while everyone else is out having fun and partying at festivals," she said. Training for a marathon is a very large commitment; the runner must stay dedicated no matter what the condition: rain, snow, sleet or hail. A strict training regimen is required. Metzger said she sets up goals for the week of how many miles she wants to run and how many miles she wants to cycle or swim.
Her job doesn't give a lot of free time; therefore, she sometimes runs up to 30 miles on weekends to make up for miles missed during the week. She also has never had a personal trainer. "All of the hints and secrets I know came from my dad and from personal experience," said Metzger.
When it comes to training, people from work support her emotionally and mentally, but Metzger said her biggest supporter of all is 1st Lt. Josh Mayo, U. S. Air Forces in Europe's commanders support staff communications officer. Although he can't keep up with her running, he takes his mountain bike out and rides right next to her in any weather.
"No matter if it is rain or shine, he rides all those trails with me for many miles," said Metzger. Although Metzger is on a strict training schedule, it does not prevent her from traveling in Europe. "I'm big on multi-tasking, so when I travel I can run and sightsee at the same time," she said. "The beauty of running is you can just grab your shoes and go."
Since her success in marathons, Metzger has been sought out as a coach. She is constantly being asked for tips on training and running. She said it has even spread to the German community that she lives in and it's great to share information with them.
"Even though there is a language barrier, it is amazing how well people can communicate when you share the same passion for running," said Captain Metzger. Metzger said she has yet to test her athletic ability to the fullest extent, but she still has qualifying times for all major marathons, to include the New York and Chicago marathons and she is usually in the top 5 percent in qualifying times. If she had the time to fully dedicate herself to being a professional runner, she said she would have the potential to compete well.
In Metzger's next marathon she will be representing the Air Force in the 29th Marine Corps Marathon Oct. 31 in Arlington, Va. "It's a big responsibility when you're representing your service and you're competing against the Marines, the Army and the Navy," she said.
Metzger has come a long way in the past eight years of running marathons. She started out "just happy to finish," now she has won back-to-back Air Force marathons and is gaining respect from everyone around her.
Heavy duty prayers going up and reinforcements called in.
The article was written in 2004 and is from a publication of Sheppard Air Force Base. Did not see an exact date.
Thanks, kayak...heavy duty prayers added to those already said.
Thanks, Kathy. (I guess I didn't search too well, or I would have just pinged everybody to this thread.)
This page show a picture of the Sherkozi Mirzakarimov mentioned in the article.
lol Probably just good for a laugh and a visit. But it sounds like on his home turf he probably couldn't drink with you so he might not be any fun now.
what is MVD of USSR?
Any more word on this?
Bump and a prayer.
Thanks. Has she been on TV?
I don't know, twigs. Maybe she was when she was competing in the Marathon.
I just called my friend and left voice mail to see if she'd heard anything from her husband. If so, I'll advise what she said.
Please send Your armies of angels to watch over Jill and to bring her back to the base safely. We confess that nothing is too difficult for You. We pray that no evil will befall her, Lord, and we ask for Your mercy in the Name of Jesus Christ. Amen.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.