Airmen bring warmth and hope to the Issyk-Kul region

  • Published
  • By Staff Sgt. Angela Ruiz
  • 376th Air Expeditionary Wing Public Affairs
TRANSIT CENTER AT MANAS, Kyrgyzstan --  The 376th Theater Security Cooperation division here loaded up a cargo truck with coats, blankets and their own hope to change lives during a five-day mission of Operation Warm and Dry Jan 14.

There are seven phases to the Warm and Dry mission-Issyk-Kul, Kyrgyzstan, is the halfway point and the fourth phase in the distributions. The first three phases were conducted in Talas, Chuy and Naryn.

"We started off with the smaller distributions near the Transit Center so we could get the experience and see how things went," said Capt. Steve Martin, 376th TSC medical director and Issyk-Kul trip leader deployed here from Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz.
It took more than 50 Airmen from the Transit Center, five trips, six vehicles, help from local Kyrgyz Republic citizens and Peace Corps volunteers to complete. More than 1,600 winter coats and 200 blankets were handed out to people in Issyk-Kul.

The Kyrgyz citizens were eager to welcome the volunteers into their villages and schools--crowds of children were waiting to meet the Americans at each location.

"I will forever hear the kids' voices saying, 'hello, hello, hello'--the one English word they knew," said Capt. Kay Stern, 376th TSC social cultural branch chief deployed here from Kirtland AFB, N.M.

Adults and children greeted the Transit Center volunteers.

"I think in our town there are a lot of people who need help. It made me think, should I just sit at home and watch TV, or instead I can help them," said Hizhamal Sydykova, a 16-year-old local Youth Volunteer Committee member. "It will also help me because it will make me more open minded and at the same time it will help others."

The first two distribution days were conducted in the city of Balykchy. The largest Warm and Dry mission TSC has orchestrated. Stern has seen how much planning goes into a distribution, but this was the first time she participated in the distribution.

"To be on the other side of the coin and actually see the execution, to see the faces of the people, to see the needs of the people being met, it made me know that what we do day to day is important and makes a difference," Stern said.

Staff Sgt. Elise Pavlak, 376th TSC humanitarian assistance representative, deployed here from RAF Alconbury, England, was in charge of packing each of the 1,600 coats for the mission. She loaded, unloaded and volunteered to assist during the distribution, fitting hundreds of children with new coats. By the end of day two, the impact of the mission set in.

"I'm exhausted but it was awesome and worth it!," Pavlak said. "There are many people in need but it's really cool to help them."

The last three days of distributions were conducted in Sary-Oi and Baet. Ministry of Social Protection workers verified the need for coats and the Peace Corps volunteers guided the Airmen to the selected distribution locations.

"Having been very cold myself last winter, I understand that it's the worst possible feeling a person could have," said Laetitia Dupuy, also known as Lola, Peace Corps volunteer. "Being cold all day and all night is so miserable."

Lola is originally from Toledo, Ohio, and has been living in Kyrgyzstan for a year and a half.

The remainder of the coats were given out in the two villages schools. In ascending order from youngest to oldest. Once all the children had a coat the adults were each given one.

"One of the women at the school came up to me and held my hands, kissed my cheeks and said, 'thank you so much, I have a coat, I'm going to be warm and I'm so excited, I'm going to be warm,'" Lola said. "That kind of reaction is what this project is all about, changing lives."

The Kyrgyz people wanted to give back to show their appreciation to the Airmen and volunteers.

"The people had so little, yet every place we went they wanted to give us something to show their thanks," Stern said. "Whether it was something as small as tea and cookies or the babushkas coming back with apples, when I know that food is not something they have a lot of, I know it came from the heart."

Babushka is the Russian word for grandmother.

Even though only 1,600 coats were handed out, the crowd at each distribution was more than double. For each child a parent or grandparent accompanied, there were school teachers, Peace Corps volunteers and others who wanted to see what was going on and how they could help.

"We couldn't have done this without everyone. This size of an operation doesn't happen by one person, it's a total team effort," Martin said.

At the end of each day the Airmen would eat a Kyrgyz dinner together, play a game of cards and reminisce on the day's events. They talked about how the children reminded them of their own back in the U.S., how the climate wasn't much different compared to the United States Midwest, and how their lives had changed.

"These people are hurting and cold," Martin said, but when you look in their eyes, that you see that connection. Their eyes translate into a thank you, no matter what language we speak."