HED: Manas Air Base, 2002 Peter J. Ganci Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, June 11, 2002: Cpl. Randy Novak, an aircraft mechanic with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 checks the refueling cone on an F/A-18D Hornet. The U.S established the strategic air base at the Manas International Airport to support its military operations in Afghanistan in 2001. Russia, wary of a long-term U.S. presence in the region, exerted pressure on the Kyrgyz government to revoke the lease agreement with the U.S. This, as well as growing anti-American sentiments in the country led to the closure of the center in 2014. During its 13 years of operation the U.S. paid some $318 million to Kyrgyzstan in direct investments and additional indirect financial and non-financial benefits. META TAGS: U.S. Transit Center at Manas (TCM); Manas Air Base; US-Russian relations; Wars on Terror; Operation Enduring Freedom;

Manas Air Base, 2002

Here is a photo from the Stars and Stripes archives of Cpl. Randy Novak, an aircraft mechanic with Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 121 checking the refueling cone on an F/A-18D Hornet in Peter J. Ganci Air Base, Kyrgyzstan, on June 11, 2002.

HED: Getting ready for Thunderdome, 2004 Camp Buehring, Kuwait, Aug. 17, 2004: Pfc. Mark Greene of the 699th Maintenance Company, 21, of North Carolina works on an armored door at the Camp Buehring "Mad Max" shop. The shop retro-fits soft-shelled vehicles of troops arriving from Germany, South Korea, Japan and elsewhere with armor, blast-proof windows and air conditioners so they stand a chance against jagged rocks, roadside bombs and the incessant Iraqi heat. During a tour of Camp Buehring just a few months later then Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld would field questions from Iraq-bound soldiers complaining about being sent into combat without armored vehicles, having to resort to "hillbilly armor," adding scavenged scrap metal and bullet proof glass on to their trucks for protection against roadside bombs in Iraq. Caught off guard by the critical questions, Rumsfeld uttered the now famous phrase "You go to war with the army you have, not the army you might want or wish to have at a later time." Read about the inner workings of the "Mad Max" garage at Camp Buehring and see more photos here. https://www.stripes.com/migration/2nd-id-vehicles-are-upgraded-to-survive-rough-traveling-in-iraq-1.23450 META TAGS: Wars on Terror; armor shortage; U.S. Army; Operation Iraqi Freedom; logistics;

Getting ready for Thunderdome, 2004

Here is a photo from the Stars and Stripes archives of Pfc. Mark Greene of the 699th Maintenance Company working on an armored door at the Camp Buehring “Mad Max” shop in Camp Buehring, Kuwait on Aug. 17, 2004.

HED: Coming for you, 2004 Hohenfels, Germany, Mar. 31, 2004: Staff Sgt. Ron Ellis fast-ropes in from an MH-60 helicopter during a Combat Search and Rescue exercise. Members from the 56th Rescue Squadron out of Keflavik Naval Air Station, Iceland, trained together with those from 81st Fighter Squadron at Spangdahlem Air Base, the 786th Security Forces Squadron, and the 236th Medical Company. If the aircraft is downed anywhere within the U.S. Air Forces in Europe’s area of responsibility, which extends from Iceland to the southern tip of Africa, it’s likely going to be the 56th, the command’s only combat search and rescue unit. With two active combat zones in Iraq and Afghanistan, the units were glad to get some hands-on experience. META TAGS: Combat Search and Rescue; CSAR; U.S. Air Force; U.S. Army; Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape; SERE;

Coming for you, 2004

Here is a photo from the Stars and Stripes archives of Staff Sgt. Ron Ellis as he fast ropes in from an MH-60 helicopter during a Combat Search and Rescue exercise in Hohenfels, Germany, Mar. 31, 2004.

HED: Taking Old Glory for a ride, 2008 Balad, Iraq, Feb. 28, 2008: An American flag sits in the cockpit of an Apache that Chief Warrant Officer 3 Sean Merrill checks on in Balad, Iraq, before he leaves on a mission. Pilots bring the flags with them on missions and then give them to people who send them care packages. META TAGS: American flag; U.S. Army; Operation Iraqi Freedom; Wars on Terror;

Taking Old Glory for a ride, 2008

Here is a photo from the Stars and Stripes archives of an American flag sitting in the cockpit of an Apache helicopter that Chief Warrant Officer 3 Sean Merrill checks on Feb. 28, 2008 in Balad, Iraq, before he leaves on a mission.

HED: Trotting along, 2002 Kandahar, Afghanistan, Feb. 28, 2002: Horse power is a common source of transportation in Kandahar, Afghanistan. META TAGS: Operation Enduring Freedom; Afghanistan; Wars on Terror; street scene; Afghan; village

Trotting along, 2002

Kandahar, Afghanistan, Feb. 28, 2002: Horse power is a common source of transportation in Kandahar, Afghanistan.

HED: Rota rules! 2009 Ramstein, Germany, May 22, 2009: The Rota girls celebrate their 2-0 victory in the DODDS-Europe Division IV girls soccer championship game against Brussels on Friday at Ramstein High School. Keep up to date with this year's DODEA team standings on Stars and Stripes' sports pages! https://www.stripes.com/sports/ META TAGS: DODDEA; prep sports; high school; soccer;

Rota rules! 2009

Here’s a photo from the Stars and Stripes archives of the aftermath of the 2009 the DODDS-Europe Division IV girls soccer championship game.

HED: Famous Fulda High Alum, 2001 Vogelweh, Germany, July 27, 2001: Shaquille O'Neal, who played basketball at Fulda High School as a sophomore, signs a basketball for a young fan at the Vogelweh Powerzone. O'Neal visited Ramstein Air Base, Landstuhl Regional Medical Center and Vogelweh on a tour promoting his new CD titled "Shaquille O'Neal Presents His Superfriends." There were more than 400 fans at the store to get autographs. META TAGS: Basketball; military child; military brat; Fulda High School; military family

Famous Fulda High Alum, 2001

Vogelweh, Germany, July 27, 2001: Shaquille O’Neal, who played basketball at Fulda High School as a sophomore, signs a basketball for a young fan at the Vogelweh Powerzone.

HED: Back on friendly turf, 2003 Spangdahlem Air Base, Nov. 24, 2003: Carol Malackowski, wife of Lt. Col. Patrick Malackowski, waves her husband in as he pilots his A-10 Thunderbolt II to a Spangdahlem Air Base hangar. Malackowski, commander of the 81st Fighter Squadron, returned with seven other A-10 pilots from a six-month deployment in Bagram, Afghanistan. META TAGS: Welcome Home; coming home; U.S. Air Force; Operation Enduring Freedom; Wars on Terror

Back on friendly turf, 2003

Spangdahlem Air Base, Nov. 24, 2003: Carol Malackowski, wife of Lt. Col. Patrick Malackowski, waves her husband in as he pilots his A-10 Thunderbolt II to a Spangdahlem Air Base hangar.