Incirlik Airmen awarded Humanitarian Service Medal

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Heather Stanton
  • 39th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
INCIRLIK AIR BASE, Turkey --  More than 1,450 Airmen assigned to Incirlik Air Base are eligible to receive and wear the Humanitarian Service Medal for the Noncombatant Evacuation Operation of Americans from Lebanon which occurred in July 2006. 

The base provided lodging, meals, medical care, legal assistance and transportation, as well as myriad other morale and welfare activities for more than 1,700 evacuees between July 19-30, 2006. 

Along with maintaining normal day-to-day operations, every squadron and tenant unit provided some sort of assistance during the operation. 

"It was a total base effort - every organization helped," said Capt. Timothy Motley, 39th Mission Support Flight military personnel flight commander. "We provided an orderly and safe environment to get the evacuees to their final destination." 

The 39th Civil Engineer Squadron helped set up the safe haven in Patriot Village for evacuees while the 39th Logistics Readiness Squadron directed personnel and baggage drop off at the Air Mobility Command terminal and tracked in-and-outbound commercial flights. 

The 39th Medical Group processed all evacuees, provided acute care and refilled more than 170 prescriptions. The 39 MDG also provided radiology, laboratory, dental, optometry and obstetric care to the evacuees. Finally, a traumatic stress response team was formed. 

The 39th Services Squadron led the evacuee reception, provided four child development centers within the safe haven, and served more than 16,000 meals and 70,000 liters of bottled water, while the 39th Communications Squadron provided 62 telephones with commercial, defense service network, 1-800 and direct-dial capabilities. They also installed seven network switches for commercial asymmetric digital subscriber line and government network computer access and broadcasted evening movies. 

Along with these contributions, the other Incirlik squadrons and units provided volunteers and escorts to help the evacuees during their stay. 

"These medal recipients are being justly commended for their efforts," said Col. Ken Stefanek, 39th Air Base Wing vice commander. "It was a whole-base effort, to include our host nation who provided the evacuees a safe haven." 

Medal recipients will be authorized to wear the medal upon the decorations update in virtual MPF, said Staff Sgt. Tiki Caldwell, 39 MSS MPF. This should be completed by the end of March.